Paths of Our Fathers
by DarkenedFantasy
Summary: After the destruction of each of Xehanort's remnants, Sora thought he was finished saving the world. He thought wrong. Sephiroth, who until now has bided his time, has started to act. When Riku discovers his shocking past, can Sora keep him from the dark?
1. Prologue

Dislaimer: I do not claim any ownership of the content used. Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and any other series I choose to include belong to their respective copyright holders. That will be all, lawyers.

Prologue

He ran through the flames of his childhood home, smoke and sobbing making his breath catch in his chest. It couldn't be. It _couldn't_ be. It couldn't be him. Surely the witnesses had seen wrongly. He rounded a corner, and was confronted with his worst nightmare. There before him stood the silver haired one he had once admired. Once a hero, now a demon with blood dripping off the end of his blade.

"My parents…" he muttered, barely audible over the roar of the fire. "My friends… this place… Why? _Why?_"

The silver-haired opponent smirked. "I am doing what I must. These traitors deserved their fate."

His mouth fell open in shock. "That's insane! You're not- you're not the person I once knew!"

"Oh aren't I?" his opponent asked sardonically before raising his blade to attack.

He blocked the attack just in time. "Stop! You can't do this!"

Those eyes, once so familiar, now burned with rage. Rage and insanity. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do. I finally understand now- just how much of a traitor you are!"

The blade came for him again, this time managing to slice into his arm. He felt a fist collide with his ribs, and fell roughly to the ground. He looked up, and saw the silver figure above him, blade held high in preparation for a killing blow. "Please…" he begged, "don't do this…"

The figure remained silent, and lowered its sword for the final strike.

That's it for the Prologue! Please read and review. I really want you to.


	2. Letter From the King

Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or any other series I choose to include. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

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Chapter 1

A Letter From the King

Riku sighed as he lounged on the bent paopu tree, looking out over the ocean as he had done little over a year ago when the entire situation began. He heard Sora approach his resting place, leap over the tree, and lean back against it, taking his place next to his friend.

"Nothing's changed, has it?" he asked the new arrival.

"Nope." Sora replied. "Nothing will."

Riku smiled. "What a small world."

Sora nodded, his spiky brown locks illuminated by the rising- or was it setting?- sun. "Yeah. But- part of one that's much bigger."

The silver haired teen made a noise of agreement. He never thought he'd be able to see his home again after all that he had done. It was a bit ironic. Before, he had longed, ached to get out of his water-bounded prison, but now that he knew of the other worlds out there, he was ready for some rest. A chance to recover from his injuries- both mental and physical.

"Hey Riku-" the younger teen began, "what do you think it was? The door to the light?"

Riku laughed, finally jumping off of his perch. He indicated his friend's heart, always much kinder than his had been, as he replied, "This."

Sora looked confused. "This?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's always closer than you think."

The spiky haired teen smiled at his closest friend. They had been through hell and back with their adventures, but they knew they could always count on each other.

"Sora! Riku!" a voice called from behind them.

The two boys turned around to find the one who completed their trio, Kairi, running towards them, red hair seeming even more fiery in the sunlight, a bottle in her hands. When she got to the boys, she paused to catch her breath, and held out the bottle, saying, "Look!"

Riku and Sora recognized the symbol of mouse ears in an instant.

"From the King?" Sora wondered, uncorking the bottle and pulling out the message.

Riku and Kairi inched closer to Sora, reading over his shoulder the message that the King had sent.

'_Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi,'_ the letter began, _'I know you just got through with saving the worlds from the Heartless and Nobodies, but there's big trouble a'brewin'. Apparently, sometime between the last time you fought Sephiroth and right now, he managed to figure out how to control the Heartless. The people from Radiant Garden probably know more about Sephiroth than either of us, but I've definitely heard of him. I want you to come to my castle as soon as it is possible so I can give you a more thorough explanation. _

_Please hurry, Mickey.'_

Sora gulped. "This isn't good… We have to go right now…"

Riku was a bit confused. "Wait. I don't think you've told me about this Sephiroth before."

Sora looked uneasy. "I'll tell you on the way. Right now, we have to get to the Gummi Ship."

Riku and Kairi nodded in agreement, and followed after Sora. However, after running barely more than ten or so feet, Riku felt his heart seize up within his chest. He tried to breathe, but couldn't draw in a decent breath. He fell roughly to the ground. He knew the others were calling his name and running for him, but he could barely hear them over the high-pitched ringing in his ears. He caught glimpses of Sora and Kairi running towards him, leaning down to see if he was okay. However, most of what he witnessed was comprised of horrible phantasms. He saw a man with long, silver hair not unlike his own standing in the flames of a town, a vaguely feminine blue creature held in some form of containment, and what looked liked cells attempting to destroy each other. The man showed up over and over in his visions, and his eyes began to burn as he tried to fight off the unseen, unknown attacker. Almost as suddenly as the onset came, the attack ended, and he found himself looking into the bewildered faces of his friends.

"Riku! You okay?" Sora asked, worry etched onto his face.

Riku struggled to hold himself up. It took him a moment to find his voice before he replied, "Y-yeah. I think so."

Kairi and Sora exchanged a glance. Riku's voice sounded really faint. That hardly sounded like he was 'okay'. Kairi swallowed hard, and asked, "What happened?"

Riku was regaining some of his strength, so he got to his feet, shaking a bit. "I don't know… there was this loud, high-pitched ringing in my ears, and then I couldn't move… I'm fine, though. Seriously. I can handle it."

Sora looked at Riku concernedly. He still looked a bit unsteady. "Your eyes were doing something really freaky… They were going all green and slit in the center and stuff, and it kept shifting back and forth."

Riku caught the gasp of surprise in his throat just in time. He didn't want to worry Sora and Kairi, but he recognized that sign from quite another time. A time where his eyes shifted towards amber each time he was even near the darkness. A time when he was worried about his rather tenuous hold on Xehanort's Heartless, locked within his body. Someone- or something- was moving to control him. Someone he'd had no experience resisting. But now was not the time to worry his friends. They had way too many other things to focus on without his problems adding on.

The silver-haired teen shook his head to clear it. "Let's get going… Maybe the King can explain what happened."

Sora did not look like he was ready to let the matter drop quite yet, but he didn't say anything, and followed Riku as he walked to the Gummi Ship, which was hidden in one of the island's many caves. The teens boarded the craft, and headed out into the blackness of space, bracing themselves for whatever news the King would give them when they arrived.

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Okay, it's review time. If you like it, review. If you have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism for the writing, review. If you're just going to flame it, don't bother reviewing. Flames are good for roasting marshmallows.


	3. Knowing the Enemy

Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership of the following content. Only the storyline belongs to me. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and any other series I choose to include in this fanfiction are the express property of their copyright holders. That will be all.

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Chapter Two

Knowing the Enemy

The three friends arrived at Disney Castle as quickly as the Gummi Ship could take them there. Though Riku distinctly remembered Sora promising to tell him about Sephiroth along the way, the spiky-haired teen had been unusually silent. Though it was admittedly pleasant not to hear him prattling on about irrelevant nonsense, it disturbed him that his best friend was unwilling to speak with him on a topic of such dire importance. Though he was well-acquainted with the King, Riku had never entered the castle before. As such, Sora was leading the way, with Riku and Kairi tagging along behind him, following him until they reached the throne room.

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" Donald quacked as they entered the room.

"Good ta see ya!" Goofy added, running for Sora and tackling him to the ground.

Sora struggled to get up. "Good to see you too, Goofy! Now… couldja get off, please?"

Goofy leapt to his feet, covering his mouth apologetically. "Oop! Sorry!"

The diminuative court mage cleared his throat. "The King is waiting for you in the library. He told us to let you know."

Riku nodded understandingly, as did Kairi. Sora looked at his old travelling companions, and said, "Thanks Donald. Goofy."

The two saluted. "No problem!"

Sora closed the door to the throne room, and led his friends down to the Castle Library. They walked into the towering room, and found King Mickey waiting for them. Sora and Kairi bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."

Riku, though Mickey had told him time and again to refer to him by his name rather than his title, did the same, for he didn't want to seem disrespectful."

The mouse king laughed. "Now, now fellas. That's not necessary. We're friends."

Sora straightened out of the bow, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Sorry."

Kairi stood up straight, moving up so she was directly next to Sora. "Your Majesty, you said you had something to tell us about this Sephiroth guy."

Mickey nodded, and his expression shifted from the nigh-ever-present smile to a grave look. "Right. Sephiroth. Follow me. This isn't going to be a short discussion."

Riku exchanged a nervous glance with the others. The King was not one who became easily worried. If he was concerned, generally it was not a good sign. And Riku, personally, had never seen the King look so weary as he had mere moments ago. However, if they expected to find out any more about the current situation, they needed to listen to him. So, they followed him to a deeper part of the library, where several far more menacing-looking tomes were kept.

"Okay. Sora. First things first, tell me what you know about Sephiroth." Mickey requested once they reached a stopping point.

Riku looked at his friend, who was looking ill at ease. Sora paused for a long moment, and said, "I know that he and Cloud have some kind of personal fight going on. And he's supposed to be the dark side of Cloud's heart, the darkness in him or something like that…"

Mickey shook his head. "That's not exactly the case. If Sephiroth was just a shadow of Cloud's heart, he wouldn't have a true body. But he does. He exists as a separate, independent person."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Then why does Cloud refer to him like that?"

"I don't know." The King replied. "But whether he's a shadow or not, he's going to be causing real trouble for the worlds. I don't know exactly what he's plannin' on doin', but I think it's pretty obvious that it's not gonna be good. Like I said in the letter, the folks on Radiant Garden could probably tell you more, but I can give you the information I know about the current situation."

Sora looked over at Riku, and said, "Let's hear what's going on right now."

Mickey nodded. "Okay, so, last you saw of Sephiroth, he was on Radiant Garden, right? Well, sometime in between then and now, he got to The World That Never Was, where Maleficent and Pete were taking up residence. Then, when he departs from there, we don't hear anything else about Maleficent or Pete, and Sephiroth's got the power to control the Heartless. My guess is he learned the power to control the Heartless from Maleficent by force, then got rid of her and Pete to get rid of any threats. Since then, I'm guessin' he's been travellin' from world to world to get minions, or creatin' some of his own. I don't know where he is now. Cloud may, but I don't know if you'll be able to speak to him any time soon. He may be back on Radiant Garden, or he may not. I'm not sure. But in any case, you need to talk to him."

Sora nodded. "Gotcha. Well… I guess we better be off to Radiant Garden."

The King nodded in agreement. "Be careful, you three. I may not know much about Sephiroth, but I know he's got a knack for turnin' people against one another. Don't let yourselves get pulled in by what he's sayin' if ya run into him!"

The three friends nodded, though this bit of information disturbed Riku greatly. Here, they were fighting against another opponent who could manipulate people with apparent ease. Even without evidence to prove that claim, Riku did not like what it potentially boded. He followed Sora and Kairi back to the Gummi Ship, and set course for Radiant Garden.

The flight to Radiant Garden didn't take as long as Riku thought it would, and was surprisingly uneventful, considering what new dangers lurked in the shadows now. However, he was thankful for the reprieve as he set the Gummi Ship down in the streets, and exited the ship. The former Hollow Bastion looked far different than Riku remembered it, now bustling with life and moving towards repair from the darkness wrought on it years ago. Perhaps this was more how it looked in its prime. The streets were surprisingly free of Heartless, considering that this was the place where darkness had erupted all those years ago, but perhaps that was thanks to the fully functional defense grid now working with the city. Nevertheless, he followed his friends until they reached a little house in the corner of the street: Merlin's House.

Riku followed Sora into the little house, only to be met with a large, bound sword directly in his face, followed by an angry voice shouting, "What are you doing here?!?"

The silver-haired teen was taken aback by the sudden attack, and immediately set on the defensive, Way to the Dawn summoned in his hand. He narrowed his aquamarine eyes at the figure before him, taking in his appearance. The man who moved to attack him had spiky blond hair, somewhat similar to Sora's, with deep blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the lighting of the room. He wore an entirely black outfit with one long sleeve covering his arm, and black gloves covered his hands.

"Cloud!" a woman's voice shouted from the background. Riku's eyes were drawn to the woman. She had brown hair held out of her face in a simple braid with a pink ribbon, bright green eyes, pale skin, and wore a red, white, and pink dress.

"What's your _problem_?" Sora asked rather hostilely, giving Cloud a death glare. "He's a _friend_!"

"Not with that appearance he's not!" Cloud retorted. "Sora, you and the girl get behind me."

"This is _Riku_, Cloud. He's my friend!"

Confusion came into the blond's eyes, followed by recognition. He backed up, lowering his weapon. Riku still glared at him for trying to attack him.

Sora sighed exasperatedly. "Well _that_ could've gone better. Riku, this is Cloud. Cloud, Riku. The woman back there is Aerith. Guys, these are my friends Riku and Kairi."

Aerith smiled warmly at the trio. "Nice to meet you. And welcome back, Sora."

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I- thought you were someone else. It's good to meet you, Riku. Kairi. Sora's talked about you two a lot from what I hear."

Kairi smiled warmly and nodded. "Nice to meet you too!"

Riku, though no longer glaring at Cloud, sounded a little bit miffed as he said, "Yeah. Pleasure."

Sora looked around the little house, and asked, "Where're the others? Yuffie, Leon and Cid? And Merlin?"

Aerith was the first to speak up. "The others are waiting for you at Ansem's old computer. They figured the King would direct you here. Cloud's going to take you there. As for Merlin- he's moved on to a different world. Last I heard of him, he was going on about a mansion or an old castle or something."

Cloud nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Leon and them figured it would be easiest to sort of brief you on the situation where the most information is compiled. So let's mosey. The more time we waste talking back here, the less tme we have to figure out a plan to stop Sephiroth."

And with that, Cloud exited the house, the three teens following behind him. As they walked for the old castle, Riku found his eyes drawn to the constant rebuilding going on around him. However, he didn't have much time for sightseeing, as their group reached the old castle within moments. Cloud led them through what appeared to be a basement area to a library which connected into a far more high-tech room, presumably a Heartless factory of some sort used by Ansem's corrupt apprentices. They rounded one final corner, and reached the room with the main computer.

Riku looked at the motley crew surrounding the computer. There was a lithe, pixie-like girl with short black hair who seemed completely unable to keep still. As she was the only girl in the group, Riku assumed that the figure was Yuffie. A figure with long, brown hair and a scar across the bridge of his nose leaned back almost casually against one of the walls. Working at the computer was a blond man dressed like a pilot. He seemed fairly intent on whatever it was he was working on.

"Leon." their guide began.

The brown haired man looked up at the group which entered the lab, nodding. "Glad you could make it."

The pixie-like girl turned around and squealed, "Sora! You FINALLY got here!"

Rik grimaced in annoyance as Kairi smiled at the hyper girl. He'd spent years around Sora's excitement, but too much perkiness really got on his last nerves. And Yuffie most definitely fell into the category of 'way too perky'.

The girl finally seemed to take notice of the other two teens. "Oh! And this must be Riku and Kairi! Nice to meetcha! I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi! The Single White Rose of-"

The blond working at the computer grumbled, and said, "Shaddup already with your 'greatest ninja' speech. We got more important things to do."

Yuffie spun around and stuck her tongue out at the man. "You're a real buzz kill, Cid."

"And _you're_ real annoying. So sit down, get off of my back, and let us get down to business." Cid fired back.

Yuffie seemed at a loss for words, and turned around to pout.

It took a few minutes for Sora to get his thoughts together, but once he did, he began, "So, uh… what can you guys tell us about what's going on with Sephiroth?"

"The King said that you had more information than he does about the situation, so talk. What do you know about what's going on?"

Cloud sighed, stepping forward to where Cid worked, gesturing for the others to gather in around him. "If you want to know what he's up to at this very moment, I'm sorry to disappoint, but we don't know much of anything. We're not even really sure what his intentions are… but we do know one thing for sure. He's managed to gather himself a decent amount of very powerful followers."

Sora, Kairi, and Riku exhcanged a worried look. That news was not exactly helpful. However, there was something that had been bugging Riku ever since they left the islands for Disney Castle.

"Cloud," Riku began, "what exactly does Sephiroth look like? I mean, we can't really search the worlds for him without a description."

Cloud hesitated, his fingers hovering above the keyboard. "… He's got a… very distinctive appearance. It's fairly obvious. Are you sure you-"

"Show me." the silver haired teen commanded.

The blond swordsman hesitated a second more, then tapped in a few keystrokes to bring up an image on the computer. As Riku saw it, his eyes widened. The man on the screen had long silver hair reaching down below his waist, and bright green eyes that were slit in the center. His pale complexion contrasted greatly with the black and red outfit he wore, designed to show off his chest.

The silver haired teen could feel practically every eye in the room being drawn to his own silver locks, and swiftly grew uncomfortable with looking at the picture. Something about the similarities between the picture and himself made him feel uneasy. He gestured for Cloud to move on, and the swordsman gladly did so, though his mako blue eyes still bore the shadows of hatred in them from the very image of Sephiroth.

Cloud waited for a moment before speaking again. "We think we know all of the followers he's recruited for now. We weren't able to capture any images of the first three when his forces attacked-"

"You guys got attacked?!?" Sora exclaimed.

Leon nodded. "That was part of the reason why contacted the King to see if he knew anything. We didn't have a means of contacting you directly, so we had to go through the King. Sephiroth's forces attacked here about two weeks ago. Caused a lot of damage. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

Kairi was the one who finally replied to that statement. "We thought they were just repairing- still- from being destroyed by the darkness."

"Whether you noticed the damage or not, it was still there." Cloud cut in, getting the conversation back on topic. "As I said, we weren't able to get images of the first three, but we do know their names- Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz."

"Did anyone see what they looked like?" Riku wondered.

Cloud nodded. "I did. Firsthand. You probably didn't notice it- it's not as obvious as Squall's-"

"Leon." the brown-haired man cut in.

Cloud ignored the interruption. "But there's a faint scar above my eye. Yazoo blasted my riding goggles off- and it's lucky that was all the damage his shot caused. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz all have appearances very reminiscent of Sephiroth. None of us are quite sure why this is the case. We don't know where the three come from, or even really what they are for sure. But we do know this- they're likely to be found on the same world. They rarely separate. That will make it easier to find them."

The teens nodded. They understood what Cloud was saying.

Leon was the next to speak. He stepped to where Cloud was, and said, "We've got images of the next two identified forces in the attack. One of which I think you may recognize, Sora."

Leon typed in something, and two images came up side by side. The first was of a woman dressed in a pink sleeveless dress-like ensemble with strawberry blonde hair framing her face and icy blue eyes emphasized by a pair of glasses. However, it was the second image that caused Sora to react.

"No way! Is that- Seifer?!?" the spiky-haired teen shouted.

Leon nodded. "Yes. That's Seifer."

"He looks older than I remember him." Sora responded.

"You can blame that on Sephiroth. I don't know exactly what he did to him, but he's managed to awaken some memories I thought he'd forgotten a long time ago… But the second woman… if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. The woman's name is Quistis Trepe- and she was my old teacher. How Sephiroth managed to convince her to work for him, I'll never know… If you come across her… be careful. She's a lot stronger than she looks, and you do not want to be on the receiving end of that chain whip. And Seifer's not a small threat either- especially with Heaven-only-knows how much power Sephiroth's given him."

Cid jumped the gun a bit, and brought up the next image. "You guys gotta get moving, so I'm gonna keep this one short. This guy-" He indicated an image of an extremely ugly man in a lab coat- "is Hojo. He used to be a scientist here on Radiant Garden, but Ansem got real mad after he realized the kind of experiments he was conducting. You think what Ansem's apprentices did was bad? They ain't got nothing on this guy. Trust me. He doesn't have any real physical strength, but he's a slimy little toad and has more lives than a cat. Good luck taking him out."

Cloud interrupted what could have potentially turned into a cursing rant, saying, "We know for a fact that Hades has allied himself with Sephiroth because of the one other servant he uses…"

Cloud typed in a sequence, and pulled up an image of a raven haired man with eyes as red as the cloak he wore, pale skin, and a golden clawed gauntlet covering his arm.

"This-" Cloud began wearily, "is Vincent Valentine. He was one of the bravest fighters present on this world. Xehanort's foolishness had brought to life an utter monstrosity of a Heartless that consumed the world in darkness. Vincent gave his life fighting that thing, and it still did no good. Knowing firsthand what Hades is capable of, I think Vincent is bound by some form of contract to him. Otherwise he wouldn't be helping him at all. And no doubt Sephiroth convinced Hades to dredge up one of the Underworld's strongest. We don't know where Sephiroth sent him."

"We don't know where Seph sent ANY of them, actually." Yuffie added. "And as to where he's keeping home base- well, we don't know that either. Sorry. Wish we could be more helpful."

"So you want us to search the worlds until we find something? Sounds like a plan." Sora said, smiling excitedly.

"Pretty much." Cloud replied, shrugging. "But before you go, I need to warn you guys about Sephiroth. As you can guess from the allies he's turned against us, Sephiroth's a very persuasive liar. He messes with your head. Don't let him."

The three teens nodded, and headed back for the Gummi Ship, Cloud's warning ringing in their ears.

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Reviews will be very much appreciated. Flames will be deleted. Constructive criticism is welcome, but harsh criticism with no real warrant is not.


	4. The Search Begins

**Diclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of any of the following content. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Disney, and whatever other series I choose to include all belong to their respective owners. That will be all.

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Chapter Three

The Search Begins

As Riku, Sora, and Kairi prepared to go out on their search for Sephiroth and his minions, they were unaware that their actions were being monitored by someone- or something. Something that could relay information back to the world on which Sephiroth and aforementioned minions were hiding. That information was displayed quite plainly on a large monitor, before which two figures stood, both of whom were masculine.

"Great. Just great. Now we have that Keyblade-wielding BRAT trying to mess things up again! Seph's gonna want to know about this. Good thing you got eyes on that world, Hojo." the first figure, which was an entirely blue man with flames for hair, said to the second.

Hojo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It was a truly genius idea on my part to hack into their security recordings, and relay a secondary copy back here. Though the action was child's play, really. That pathetic excuse for a security program- Tron, or whatever other foolish name those simpletons gave it- didn't even register what I was doing. They didn't even bother to protect the computer with an ample password. Nonetheless, this will give us a look at what the failed experiment- and the Keyblade wielder, when he is there- are up to."

"As for notifying me about the situation-" a deeper voice cut in, "I was already aware of the child's plans to interfere. In fact, I was counting on it. And for future reference, Hades- never call me by a shortened version of my name again, or you will discover exactly how capable Masamune is of slaying a god."

The two figures before the monitor tensed up, and attempted to look as if they were going to show respect to the new figure as he entered the room. Sephiroth smirked as he saw them scramble to give him the proper respect- or at least, some half-hearted attempt at it. His cat-like eyes moved to the monitor, where he saw the familiar image of the Keyblade wielder. Next to him was a young woman with deep red hair, and-

Sephiroth very rarely lost his grip on his emotions, particularly in front of his subordinates, but at the sight of the third young figure on the screen, a surprised gasp escaped his lips, earning a speculative look from Hojo and a confused look from Hades. He came to himself within nanoseconds, turned to Hades, and said, "Leave us. _Now_."

Hades glowered at the silver-haired man for giving him orders, and said, "All right. Hey, I was getting bored anyway."

And with that, he teleported away in a flash of fire and smoke.

Sephiroth walked slowly towards the monitor, his mind completely disbelieving what his eyes told him he saw. The boy standing to the right of the dark-haired girl had silver locks very much like his own. As soon as he got next to Hojo, the boy looked directly at the security camera, and his eyes widened. The boy's eyes- the ones now seeming to look almost straight at him- those turquoise eyes could practically be his own staring right back at him.

"No…" he whispered. "Impossible…"

He turned to Hojo, and said, "Serach the databases for this boy. I want to know who he is. In the meantime, I'll send Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz to get to know him personally."

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When the three teens finally reached the cold depths of space in their Gummi Ship from Radiant Garden, Sora turned back to Riku and Kairi, who were sitting in the back seats. "So, where do you guys wanna start searching first?"

Kairi shrugged. "I don't really know that much about the worlds you guys have been to, so I can't really say anything one way or another. I would like to go to that water place you were talking about, though… What was it… Atlantica?"

Sora nodded, smiling brightly. "Yeah. We'll definitely see that sometime. But first, Riku, you got any suggestions? You're usually on top of things."

Riku considered this for a moment. "I can't think of a place that gives me a distinctive thought- but they're likely to be on worlds close to Radiant Garden- or the islands- since it seems that Cloud and the others, as well as us, are their targets."

Sora looked confused for a second, then nodded. "Gotcha. Yeah, that makes sense. But wait, wasn't Hades listed as one of the guys working for Sephiroth? If he was, then we already know where to look for him."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. The Olympus Coliseum you were telling me about."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you're forgetting one thing: Hades is a _god_, okay? We can't exactly kill him."

Sora shrugged. "Who said anything about killing him? I know we can't kill him, but he can get really talkative if backed into a corner. And besides, Sephiroth once competed in the Coliseum. That was the first time I'd faced him, though at the time I didn't know his name. He might show up again."

Riku looked at his friend, aquamarine eyes wide. Sora had never mentioned fighting Sephiroth in the Coliseum… Come to think of it, he'd barely mentioned their silver-haired antagonist at all before. Weird. Sora was always so competetive, one would think he would talk about being able to beat someone like him…

Sora, oblivious as always, said, "So, you guys all agree with me?"

Kairi smiled. "Yep! Let's go to the Coliseum!"

Though Sora's navigational skills left something to be desired by his two passengers, he managed to get them all to the Coliseum within about half an hour. Kairi was entranced by the view of the stars out the portholes, while Riku was, as usual, absorbed in his thoughts. Why had everyone been so hesitant to tell him anything about Sephiroth? Especially when he was clearly a danger to the worlds. Was it that they didn't trust him?

Riku shook his head as soon as the thought formed in his mind. No. He was not going to fall for that trap again. He would never let himself believe his friends abandoned or mistrusted him- though he had given them more than enough reason to with his past actions.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he hardly noticed Sora calling his name until the spiky haired teen was hovering right in front of his face. "You ready to go, Riku?"

Riku nodded, mentally shaking off his self-doubt- for the time being. "Yeah. I'm ready."

And with that, he followed Sora and Kairi out of the Gummi Ship and onto the sand of the Coliseum world. Sora knew the way better than Riku or Kairi, so he led them to the doors of the main Coliseum. Almost as soon as they walked in, they were greeted by a sultry female voice saying, "So, back again, Sora?"

Sitting in the lobby of the Coliseum, which had finally been rebuilt following the attack by the Hydra, was a rather curvaceous young woman dressed in a flattering magenta-toned dress with long, flowing auburn hair tied back out of her face in a loose up-do.

"Hey Meg!" Sora greeted enthusiastically. "Where's Herc?"

"Oh, Wonder Boy? Same as usual, training with the nanny goat. Why?" Meg wondered.

Riku took the initiative. "We need to get into the Underworld- preferably without our strength getting sapped in the process."

Meg raised an eyebrow at the new speaker. "I don't think I've met your friends yet, Sora."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. This is my friend Riku. And this is-"

The red-haired princess stepped forward. "I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you, Meg."

Meg smiled at the greeting. "Nice to meet you too. You must be pretty tough, hanging around with Sora, huh? Just remember, you don't always need a prince to come save you. But it is nice to have him there. When you need him."

Right about that time, a muscle-bound figure that Riku and Kairi easily presumed to be Hercules from the description Sora had given of him entered the room, prompting Meg to say, "Speak of the devil."

"Hey Sora! Oh, you brought some friends with you, huh? We'll see how good they really are in a Coliseum match." the jovial hero greeted.

"Yeah, someday. But we don't have time for that today. We need to visit the Underworld." Sora replied.

Hercules rooted around in the folds of his cape for a few moments before pulling out a small stone with a thunderbolt insignia, and handing it to the Keyblade wielder. "I won't bother asking why, just be sure you bring it back, okay?"

"No problem!" Sora promised, gesturing for his friends to follow him as they walked for the entrance to the Underworld.

As soon as they entered the realm of the dead, Riku felt a change in the atmosphere. The warm, pleasant air of the Coliseum had been replaced with a deathly cold chill. Fitting, considering what the place was. He looked over, and saw Kairi repressing a shiver, whether from the cold or the creepiness of the desolate place, he couldn't be certain. But he knew one thing for sure- the sooner they got out of there, the happier he would be.

---

The Lord of the Dead was _not_ a happy camper. He had only just arrived back on his home turf to find that the Keyblade-wielding brat- or _brats_, as the situation now stood- had showed up on his doorstep first. But he would remain cool. Remain calm. He glanced into the shadows of his throne room, and beckoned forth his newest puppet.

Said puppet took his own sweet time stepping out of the shadows, but as he did so, he revealed the monstrosity of his body. The golden pointed shoes and claw were the first things to catch any onlooker's eye. Those metal-plated claws spoke of danger enough without gazing at the weapon hidden just out of normal sight, ironically named after Hades' own favorite pet. The black leather and crimson cloak he wore served as a stunning contrast to his alabaster skin and midnight black hair. Really, looking as he did, it was as if he belonged to this world.

"Okay, Vincent. I've got a job for you." Hades began congenially. He gestured with his right hand, and smoky illusions of Sora and his friends appeared before his servant. "You see these three? Well, they've got a really, _really_ bad habit of screwing up all of the big boss's plans. And whaddya know? Hey. They're here on _our_ doorstep."

"And what am I to do about these intruders?" Vincent asked.

Hades ripped his hand through the illusions like claws. "Eliminate them."

Vincent was long in responding. But when he did, it was with a single word. "No."

Hades narrowed his eyes, got up from his throne, and started walking for his servant. "Excuse me? Sorry, I must have had some brimstone in my ear because _I_ thought I just heard you say _no_."

"You heard me. I won't do it." the gunman shot back. "They're children. You can't ask me to kill them for you. If you want them dead- do it yourself."

Hades laughed, trying desperately to stay ahead of his fiery temper- and failing miserably. "Vinny, Vinny, my gunslinging, undead minion. Aren't we forgetting one eensy-weensy, teeny-tiny, but very important detail? _I OWN YOU!_ I say 'jump', you say 'how high'. I say _get rid_ of those _brats_ before they screw up _everything_, you say-"

"Forget it." Vincent retorted. "I may have killed many innocents in the past, but _this_- this goes too far."

Hades sighed, placed a hand on Vincent's shoulder, and summoned in his free hand a tiny doll-like figurine of the man before him. "You know, Vinny, I _had_ hoped it wouldn't come down to this. But you give me no choice. You see, I find my servants do much better _quality_ work when they have free will. But there's that _one_ little problem of always wanting to _defy_ me. You, my friend, just had your first strike. And in this business, we don't have room for any foul-ups. But- I think you're gonna like this next part. For a guy who's been through so much pain, this'll be really- numbing."

Vincent was already flinching under the weight of Hades' spell, but the Lord of the Dead decided to ensure loyalty by pushing things one step further. "Give me attitude like you did back there again, and I might just _revoke_ our little bargain."

Vincent gasped at this, though his memories of the bargain itself and who it was made about were swiftly leaving him.

"Are we clear now?" Hades asked.

"Yes, Lord Hades." Vincent deadpanned, all defiance gone.

He saw nothing of the Lord of the Dead's smile as he vanished away the figurine he was clutching, ready at last to truly serve his master.

---

Riku and Kairi ran as fast as they could behind their spiky-haired comrade as he descended level upon level in the Underworld, running full tilt towards the Lord of the Dead's inner sanctum. Sora knew this world better than the others, so he guided them through the endless maze of stone corridors near the river Styx until they finally reached Hades' chamber. He turned back, placed a finger over his lips, and peered around the corner. Then, in a hushed tone, he called out, "Coast is clear. He's not in his throne room."

Riku and Kairi crept after Sora into Hades' chamber, and gazed at the throne room of the Lord of the Dead. It was very quiet in the room. Too quiet.

"He must be in a meeting with Sephiroth." Kairi noted, shrugging.

"Or with his new puppet, Vincent." Riku stated, pointing out a red figurine on the altar in the center of the room.

Sora looked where his friend was pointing, and suddenly perked up. "Riku, you're a genius!"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Remember what I told you about Auron? How Hades was using a figurine to control him? I think he's doing the same thing to Vincent. If we take that and give it to him, he'll get back to normal!"

And with that, Sora reached out a hand over the figurine. He gestured with his head for the others to come over, and they placed their hands atop his.

"Okay, guys. This is gonna be a bit weird- and painful. But it'll help us get Vincent back on Cloud's side without hurting him really badly." Sora warned. "Ready? On three. One. Two. Three."

As soon as the number escaped Sora's mouth, the three teens' hands descended and clasped the figure before them. Riku almost doubled over from the pain that hit his body immediately afterward. Sora wasn't kidding when he said it would be painful. From the cries on either side of him, he could tell the others were hurting as well. As Riku struggling to hold his eyes open, he saw flashes of memories, emotions, experiences, all swirled together in a macabre phantasmagoria, a horrific kaleidoscope that was central to Hades' puppet's heart. An unfamiliar voice was echoing through the chamber, mixed in with half-bestial, half-human cries, though Riku could hardly tell if it was only heard in his head, or if it was one that existed in the physical world.

_"Talk! Why did you let this happen?"_

_ "I didn't even try to stop her."_

_ "I've never tried."_

_ "Hojo. I've heard enough."_

_ "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_ "LUCRECIA!!!"_

_ "That was my sin. And this… __**this**__… is my punishment…"_

As the last of the tortured gunman's words faded from their minds, the three teens stood up from where they were.

"Whoa…" they said in unison.

"He's so… sad…" Kairi whispered when she recovered.

"…" Riku was, for once, at a total loss for words. The sorrow he had just seen through this man's eyes was beyond anything he had ever known.

"I think… I understand now… Why he's working for Hades, anyway. That lady- Lucrecia? He wants to see her again. And he hasn't. In a long time." Sora reasoned.

"Shh!" Riku shushed Sora suddenly. "I sense something."

Sora and Kairi clamped their mouths shut, looking at Riku with wondering, worried eyes. The silver-haired teen inhaled, and he could smell it. Not as well as he used to be able to, but all the same, it's scent was there. Darkness. Muted, faint, but darkness nonetheless.

"Someone's coming. I can't tell exactly who, but they carry darkness within them. We need to hide. Fast. Before whoever it is I'm sensing gets here."

Sora stowed the figurine in his back pocket, and looked at Riku frantically. "Where are we gonna hide? There's nowhere for us to-"

"I thought I might find you little brats poking around here. Weren't you taught not to go through someone _else's_ stuff?" a familiar voice quipped.

The three teens turned back to the doorway, and found themselves staring into the face of a clearly annoyed Lord of the Dead.

---

Okay, that's it for now. Reviews, as always, would be much appreciated, but flames will be ignored, if not deleted. Constructive criticism is fine, and welcomed.

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	5. The First Battle

Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership of the following content. Only the storyline belongs to me. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and any other series I choose to include in this fanfiction are the express property of their copyright holders. That will be all.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Four- The First Battle

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Hades asked.

Sora rubbed his neck sheepishly as Riku and Kairi looked speechlessly up at the irate Lord of the Dead.

"Do you- Do you three brats have _any_ idea how long I've been looking for you? You had me worried. For a while there, I'd thought you'd fallen into the river of death or something, I don't know. But then- I find you poking at _my_ things, in _my_ room, and I think, 'hey, this must be my lucky day', 'cuz now I have all three of you brats right where I want you- Right where my new assistant can take care of all three of you at once."

The three teens gulped as Hades snapped his fingers, and Vincent stepped slowly out of the shadows.

"Vinny," Hades began, looking at his servant gunman, "couldja do me a _huge_ favor and take care of these bozos for me? Thanks, pal. I owe ya one."

As Vincent advanced and Hades moved to snap his fingers and vanish, Riku was seized by a flash of inspiration. He snatched the figurine out of Sora's hand, and said, "Hold it right there, Hades!"

Hades stopped mid-motion, and stared at the silver-haired teen. "Excuse me?"

"You teleport out of here, and there's nothing to stop us from freeing Vincent from your control. And it would be kind of hard to find someone else of his strength to serve you." Riku stated confidently, brandishing the figurine at the god.

Hades laughed nervously, and stroked his flaming hair back. "Hehe. Yeah… Solid point… Vinny gets freed, I have to search the Underworld for _weeks_ to find someone else… So, what is it that _you_ want?"

Sora and Kairi looked over at their friend, completely bewildered. Riku was playing Hades' own game- and _beating _him at it.

"Simple." Riku replied. "You tell us where Sephiroth's sent his people. And where he's hiding."

Hades sighed. "Kid, that information's highly classified. I mean _highly_ classified. I can't just go telling that to anyone."

"Then I guess I have something Vincent may want to have…" Riku stated, pulling his arm back as if to toss the figurine to the gunman.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwhoa. Hold on a sec." Hades interjected, holding his hands out in a yielding motion. "Ya drive a hard bargain kid. Okay. I can't tell you where Seph's hiding. Hey hey hey, I'm not done yet! But I _do_ know where he sent one of his guys. Loz. One of those three 'brother' wackos, big crybaby. He's hiding out in the Land of the Dragons."

Riku smirked. "I knew you'd see things my way. Pleasure doing business with you."

He tilted his head, and Sora took the lead of the group as they walked out of the chamber. However, as they left, Hades called them back.

"You talk pretty tough, kid, but you forgot one thing: whenever you're in a business meeting, you always have a Plan B."

He snapped his fingers, and Riku felt the figurine start fading out of his hands. "Wha-?"

Hades smirked. "You didn't _honestly_ think I was just gonna _let_ you waltz out of here with that, did you? You wanna get outta here with that info, you're gonna have to _fight_ your way out. Vince, you know what to do, so I'll leave the rest up to you. Pleasure doing business with ya, kid."

And with that, Hades snapped his fingers and vanished in a puff of smoke.

The three teens backed up in unison as Vincent advanced slowly upon them, his gun held out as if to shoot them. Riku gulped. For once, his mind had gone almost completely blank on ideas. Fortunately, Sora still had his own plan, the one he always used: Improvise and hope for the best.

"Look, Vincent." Sora began in a calming tone. "You don't wanna shoot us. We're kids. Do you wanna have that on your conscience for eternity?"

"Sora, I somehow sincerely doubt that he cares about something like that." Riku muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"You got a better plan?" the spiky-haired teen shot back.

"We could run…" Kairi suggested.

"For once, running honestly sounds like a good plan…" the silver-haired teen murmured.

Sora gulped, swallowing his pride as he did so, and shouted, "RUN!"

With that word, the three teens took off as fast as they could up to the surface. Vincent was chasing after them, but his motions were off. Disconnected. He was moving like a broken marionette whose strings had been damaged. He couldn't catch up to them, he who would normally have been able to cut them off and get rid of them, as per his orders. But something wasn't right about the way he was moving. He could sense it himself that it was someone else, something other forcing him to move.

The three teens burst through the door at the surface, and stopped to catch their breath.

"I think… (pant pant) we lost him." Sora wheezed.

"Ya think?" Riku shot back breathlessly.

"You three look rough." Hercules commented, walking up to them. "What happened?"

"Hades got himself a new puppet." Riku answered bitterly. "He was stronger than we thought he'd be."

"Yeah." Kairi panted. "But we were able to get some information out of him about Sephiroth's minions."

"So that whole trip wasn't a total loss, then." Meg commented, her eyes surveying the group. "Anything coming after you that Wonder Boy may have to deal with?"

Riku nodded. "Hades's new puppet. His name's Vincent Valentine. He's got a very distinctive appearance."

"And I wouldn't be surprised to see Sephiroth around here, either." Sora added. "Since, ya know, he used to compete here, and all."

"We'll keep our eyes peeled." Hercules assured the three teens. "Now, you should probably get out of here before your persuers come back for you."

"Right." Sora agreed, lading his friends towards the Gummi Ship. "See ya later, Herc!"

And with that, the trio took off into the depths of space.

.-.-.-.

"You LOST THEM?"

Whereas any ordinary mortal, or immortal, as the case may be, would have shrunk back in fear at the bright crimson, highly irate Lord of the Dead screaming in his face, Vincent remained completely composed. "Did I stutter? They ran, I pursued, but they escaped."

"IDIOT!" Hades shouted at his puppet, tossing a massive fireball at the ground just in front of said puppet's feet. "I told you not to let them out of your sight. I told you to FINISH them! And what do you do? Let them get away."

Hades was now pacing back and forth across his throne room, casting dirty looks at Vincent. He made his voice a mocking imitation of Vincent's, and continued, "'They escaped'. They were too fast for you? With ALL your modifications, they were too fast for YOU? Give me a break. Geez."

A new, lower voice cut in to Hades' building rant. "Give him his mind back, and let _me_ handle him."

Hades spun around, crimson flames still billowing around his body, to find Sephiroth strolling into his inner sanctum from a dark portal. In an instant, he was back to his normal, blue-burning self. "Sephiroth. Hey. Didn't know you were coming. See, I thought I'd have those Keyblade brats for ya, but we hit a little snag. See, _Vinny_ here doesn't wanna follow orders. But when I try controlling him directly, hey, he's just a bit above the average mook, what're ya gonna do?"

Sephiroth used all his restraint to avoid honestly rolling his eyes in front of the bumbling excuse for a death god standing before him. He had little patience for his kind, these cartoonish antics he employed. "Then do as I suggested, and give him back his mind. Give him back his memories, and let me have a few moments alone with him. I have ways of making sure my associates are obedient."

Hades shrugged. It wasn't like there was anything else he could do about it. He summoned the figurine which contained Valentine's memories and emotions, and handed it to Sephiroth, muttering, "He's all yours."

Hades exited his throne room, and mere moments later, the screams of a tortured immortal slave filled the endless caverns of the Underworld.

.-.-.-.

"That poor Vincent guy…" Sora intoned as the trio approached their next destination, the Land of the Dragons. "We have to find some way to free him."

"We will." Riku promised. "At some point, we will. But for now, let's focus on eliminating those psychotic 'brothers' of Sephiroth. And I'd watch it, Sora, because you've got some Heartless ships coming up at two o'clock."

"I'm on 'em." Sora replied, moving over and taking control of weapons, shooting the enemy ships into tiny bits of Gummi.

A few moments passed in tense silence.

"I think we're coming up on the world, guys." Kairi noted, pointing ahead to a bamboo-covered world defined by a high icy peak.

Riku nodded. "Yes. This is- the Land of the Dragons."

Kairi looked excitedly out the portholes as Sora entered the atmosphere of the planet. This would be her first time in a real fight with the other boys. While she was excited to be with them on this adventure, she was also nervous at the coming battle. She didn't have the experience the others did. However, she wouldn't let that stop her. She would prove she didn't always have to be the damsel in distress.

Sora took forever in navigating the Gummi Ship down to the world's surface, due in no small part to having to negotiate a treacherous bamboo forest. He finally came across a clearing, and gently set the ship down. The three friends exited the ship, and walked for the army camp, Sora and Riku leading, Kairi following close behind. However, when they arrived there, they were shocked by the sight that met their eyes.

The entire camp was practically submerged in snow. The tents were utterly destroyed by the weight of it. There was no sign of life anywhere near the camp.

"Sora!" a feminine voice shouted, causing the trio to turn towards the mountain face.

"Mulan!" Sora cried out, recognizing the voice.

The female warrior ran up to Sora, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. Once she had, she said, "I'm glad you were able to make it here. And it seems you've found your friends. Riku and Kairi, right?"

Kairi nodded. "Yes. It's great to meet you, Mulan. Sora's gone on and on about your fighting ability."

Mulan appeared to be embarassed by the compliment, but Sora cut into the moment, asking, "What happened here?"

Mulan turned back to face Sora, and sighed. "We were attacked, caught off guard, by a mysterious warrior with hair almost like your friend's- only much shorter. He dressed in all black, and claimed to be looking for 'Mother'. When it became clear we knew nothing, he attacked us, and used a strange weapon to send shockwaves through the earth, causing the avalanche that wiped out the camp. Captain Shang went searching for survivors while I went looking for the warrior. And then I found you."

"Sora." Riku hissed. "That man in black sounds a lot like Loz, one of Sephiroth's minions."

"Right." Kairi agreed softly.

"Hey, Mulan," Sora began, "This guy sounds a lot like someone we're looking for, so we'll help you out."

Mulan smiled. "I knew I could count on you three. Now, there's a small cavern at the base of the Tung Shao Pass where our warrior might be hiding now. The one problem is that its entryway was blocked in the avalanche. I tried getting Mushu to help, but the snow was packed in too much for him to do any good."

Sora shrugged. "We've got access to fire magic. That might let us get in."

"Right. Now, let's go." Mulan urged.

The four heroes crept as silently as possible over the newly-formed snow banks until they reached the base of the aforementioned pass, where the entrance to the cavern was hidden by a large snowdrift. Sora gestured for the others to stop, and began to focus on flames gathering at the end of the Keyblade. After allowing the flames to grow for several minutes, Sora cast Fire on the snowdrift, causing a rush of water to run into the cavern.

"We need to hurry." Riku noted. "If Loz is in there, he's noticed we're here now."

"Gotcha." Sora agreed.

With that, the group ran into the cavern's mouth. Their charge had not fled. As a matter of fact, he appeared to be speaking with someone via a communicator.

"She's not here…" Loz whimpered, his voice breaking on the last word.

The other person on the line said something which was answered by a vehement "I am _not_ crying!"

There was a tense pause before Loz finally answered, "No, no, I got it. I'll take care of the kids."

Riku nodded to Sora, signalling to the group that it was time to attack.

"Hey, you!" Sora cried out, running into the cavern with his friends. "What's going on? Who's 'Mother'?"

Loz turned around to face the group. "Don't play dumb with me, kid. You know exactly where Mother is."

"How're we supposed to know where someone is if we don't know who she is?" Kairi challenged, drawing her own floral-themed Keyblade.

"All I want to do is to find Mother so Reunion can begin." Loz stated calmly. "Do we need to fight over this?"

"Maybe not." Riku answered. "But- when you put the lives of innocent people at risk for your objectives, then you've gone too far. Besides, the person you're working for has far from innocent objectives."

"You're not answering me!" Loz shot back. "Where's Mother?"

"We don't know!" Sora retorted. "We don't even know who this 'Mother' is! How're we supposed to know _where_ she is?"

"Okay then. You don't want to answer? Fine. Play with me." The silver-haired antagonist challenged.

Each side stood with weapons drawn for one tense moment before Loz moved with inhuman speed to execute the first attack. He moved to execute a roundhouse kick on Mulan, only to find his efforts blocked by Kairi's Keyblade, which she then used to throw the opponent off-balance. Riku took the opportunity to charge Loz with Way to the Dawn, laying a heavy slash wound into his side. Loz turned around, and charged swiftly behind the silver-haired Keyblader, activating the weapon on his arm as he jabbed it into Riku's back.

The silver-haired teen writhed in agony as shockwaves ran through the whole of his body, followed by a swift jolt of electricity. He was numb from pain as Loz flung him to the floor, and was practically paralyzed from the attack. Sora, seeing this outrage, ran for Loz, attacking him like a berserker, scoring several serious hits. Mulan also ran for Loz, slicing at him with her sword several times before he finally rounded on her and hit her with his weapon, sending her flying into the wall. After a few moments of laying there, Mulan struggled to her feet, and launched back into the fray. Riku, after a minute or so of recovery, leapt back to his feet, and charged for the opponent.

Loz was a good fighter, but he could never stand up to the might of four warriors against one. He injured them several times, but for every hit he landed on them, they landed three more on him. Sora and Riku watched in surprise as the final attack which finished Loz off was made, resulting in Kairi's colorful, floral Keyblade being seen through Loz's torso. Loz fell to the ground after the final move was made, and his body faded away into wisps of darkness infused with a slight green light.

Despite the fact that she had basically ended someone's life, Kairi did not feel distressed. Perhaps it was because what she was facing was not an ordinary human. Perhaps it was because Loz was a servant of evil. But whatever the case was, she was just happy to have been of help to Sora and Riku, instead of requiring their help.

"That takes care of that." Sora commented lightly, placing his hands behind his head.

"We should get going." Riku commented, walking back for the cave entrance.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Mulan asked. "We really must give you your due for your assitance here."

Kairi smiled, turning back to face the other woman. "It's not so much that we don't want to stay. It's that we have to go, because we have other things we must do."

"I understand." Mulan acknowledged. "But please, do come back some other time."

"We will." Sora promised.

With that promise, the trio exited the cave and began the long trek back to the Gummi Ship. When they finally arrived, Sora took the pilot's seat, and they journeyed back into the dark depths of space.

"That was exciting!" Kairi said happily. "I knew you two got to go on some great adventures! I mean, I know this isn't exactly the best task, but you get to travel to all these great places. And I told you I could take care of myself, Sora! You didn't need to protect me so much back there!"

Sora blushed. "Yeah, well, old habits, ya know?"

"Quit arguing, you two!" Riku cut the pair off. "It looks like we're getting a message from Radiant Garden."

"Oh?" Sora asked, pressing the 'receive' button on the console so they could see the message.

The trio was then confronted by the image of Merlin's House in shambles, with Cid in the foreground. "Sora! We got a situation over here! Looks like Sephiroth's come back to invade- with thousands of Heartless buddies! So get you and your friends' butts over here and- Oh no. He's headed for the Heartless Factory? $&%! We don't have much time!"

And with that, the message was violently terminated.

"We have to help them out!" Kairi insisted.

"Yeah." Riku agreed. "If Sephiroth gets control over the Heartless factory-"

"Got it. Setting course for Radiant Garden." Sora agreed, punching in the coordinates.

And on that tense note, the trio changed direction, praying they could get there in time to aid their friends…

._.

As always, reviews are much appreciated. Flames are not.


	6. The Besieged Garden

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright holders.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Five-The Besieged Garden

As soon as the teenaged trio entered Radiant Garden airspace, they knew the world was in serious need of help. There were endless Heartless and Nobody piloted ships flying around, fighting Gummi Ships presumably piloted by their allies on the ground. Sora winced as he saw one of the Gummi Ships get blown into smithereens by a Red Phoenix ship, sending the pilot flying out into the airless depths of space.

"We need to get down there, fast!" Kairi shouted. "If Sephiroth gets to the Heartless Factory-"

"I know!" Sora cut her off, feeling bad for interrupting her a moment later. "But we need to worry about getting down there in one piece first!"

Riku gulped, aquamarine eyes growing wider as he saw an increasing number of Phoenix and Knight Head ships flying in their general direction, weapons blazing with energy blasts. "Uh, Sora? We've got company."

Sora stopped in his tracks, and looked out from the bridge at the incoming battalion of enemy ships. "Oh boy…"

After a moment's worrying, Sora began to take command, surprising Riku and Kairi with his initiative. "Battle stations, guys! Riku, man the weapons. Keep the Ultima Gummies locked on to those Phoenixes, and bombard those Knight Heads with as much fire power as those Blizzaga Gummies on this ship can throw out! I'll try and fly this thing around those Bombers and Mini Cruisers. Kairi, I suggest you sit down and buckle up. This could get really ugly."

Riku and Kairi followed their friend's orders to the letter. This was the first dogfight either of them had ever really been involved in, but Riku knew how to operate the weapons systems. The silver haired teen ran for the controls for the weaponry, and prepared to fire at the enemy ships. He typed in some keystrokes, and had the ship's computer focus on locking on to the targets while he tried to fire at those Knight Heads approaching on both sides of the ship. He found himself thanking his lucky stars that Sora had possessed enough foresight to equip Blizzaga cannons on both sides of the ship. The ship shook as the group of Phoenixes' lasers slammed into the ships hull.

"Hang on." Sora warned, a nervous sweat running his face. There was a moment's pause, and then he took the controls.

Kairi was glad for the warning, because Sora's aerial acrobatics to avoid the Mini Cruisers heading straight for them would have made it impossible to stand, and were making it very difficult to avoid feeling ill. She wasn't one for motion sickness, but nonetheless, the ship was very, very fast.

Riku found himself cursing Sora for putting such fast engines on the ship. Sure, they were useful if the goal was evasion, but it made it really difficult to hit some of the enemies pursuing them. He was able to keep a steady offensive up, giving the Phoenixes a taste of their own medicine at the hands of the Ultima Gummies just before Sora gave the engines an extra burst of speed, sending them spinning past a large set of Cruisers. As they flew past, Riku noticed something odd. Only the Mini Cruisers and Phoenixes were attacking. A Cruiser firing on them would have completely pulverised the ship.

_Only the fighters are attacking. Why aren't those Cruisers attacking? What are they waiting for?_ he wondered as they spiraled just out of the way of a bunch of missiles deployed by one of the ships.

The way down to the world's surface was now finally clear of enemies, but Riku maintained his position, just in case. He was glad he had, for as they began descending to land, a squadron of Mini Cruisers began pursuing them.

"Oh no you don't…" Riku growled, silver locks falling into his eyes. Helocked the Ultima Gummies on to them, and after a few moments of firing and missing, the lasers locked on, and their followers exploded. Unfortunately, one of them was able to fire off one last volley of energy, taking out one of the Teeny Ships flying beside them.

"We lost something…" Sora noted, rather unnecessarily.

"It was just one of the Teeny Ships. I blasted the ones following us." Riku reassured his friend.

The Gummi touched down just outside of the main city boundaries, and the three teenagers bounded for Merlin's house, killing any Heartless that crossed their path. Once they arrived at the wizard's old house, they ran inside to find Aerith tending to a severely injured Yuffie.

"She tried to fight off Sephiroth on her own." Aerith answered the unspoken question. "He was too fast, and she has some fairly severe stab wounds."

"Where is Sephiroth? Still headed for the Heartless factory?" Riku asked, coming off rather more demanding than he had intended to sound.

Aerith's eyes widened at the boy's tone. When he did that, he almost sounded like- no. No. She couldn't dare complete that thought. She nodded in answer, and watched the trio carefully as they ran out the door. She hoped they would be all right. Sephiroth was clearly not an opponent to be trifled with, as she knew all too well.

_They'll be fine._ she assured herself. _They may be kids, but they're good fighters. They'll be okay._

.-.-.-.

As lasers and energy bombs flew from the ships locked in combat before them, a pair stood on the bridge of the head Nobody cruiser. Once, they would have been childhood friends, instructor and student, but now they were allies, working for a common goal and master. Seifer Almasy didn't like playing lapdog to some man with a messiah complex, but he liked even less being indebted to the man for the return of his memories and his true form. Why Quistis Trepe, who stood next to him, fiery red hair glinting glossily in the harsh, artificial light on the ship, had agreed to help this madman, Seifer had no earthly idea. But whatever the reason, it seemed now she was equally as bent on getting revenge on Squall as he was. Maybe she had had a thing for him or something.

"Seifer." the aforementioned instructor began curtly. "I know you want to find Squall. He's down there on the surface of that world."

"Yeah…" Seifer responded noncommitaly, though even hearing the name just made his blood boil. He couldn't remember why, he only caught a few clear glimpses of their history, but he knew that he hated Squall's guts, and wanted nothing more than to just pummel him into a bloody pulp. Maybe give him another scar to match that one he still sported on his forehead.

"But you can't." Quistis stated coolly, cutting in to Seifer's building anger. "You know our orders are to remain here until he gives us the order to open fire. I have been told to seek out Kadaj and Yazoo, and bring them here. Remember your orders, and don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

And with that, the redhaired instructor vanished into the dark portal she had summoned, fixing her glasses-rimmed piercing glare on the blond teenager before disappearing entirely into the dark depths.

"'Don't do anything stupid.'" Seifer muttered resentfully. "You never change, do you? Same old bossy Quisty. You ought to know by now I'm not much for following orders."

He walked over to his two close subordinates, Raijin and Fuujin. They had always been close to him in Twilight Town, and he insisted their memories were returned as well when he signed on to work with Sephiroth. His grey coat billowed behind him as he walked past the monitors on the bridge, which the Nobodies were operating, finally coming face to face with his two comrades.

"All right. I'm off to find Leonhart so we can finally settle this." Seifer stated confidently. "Until I get back, you two are in charge. Fuujin- you know what we've been ordered to do. Give the order whenever you see fit, just make sure they stay away from Ansem's old castle, got it?"

Seifer then summoned forth his own dark portal, prepared to move to the surface of the Garden under siege. Fuujin and Raijin watched as their leader vanished from sight, leaving them alone.

"So… what do we do now, ya know?" Raijin asked.

Fuujin smirked, activating the communicator to all the ships. They had their orders. "FIRE."

.-.-.-.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi had only just barely managed to escape the town square when the first massive volley of laser fire from the orbiting Cruisers hovering just above the atmosphere met the earth, sending a massive explosion and shockwave ripping through the buildings behind them. Riku's face paled to match his silvery locks as he finally realized why the Cruisers hadn't been attacking.

"He's getting the information he needs, then destroying the planet behind him via orbital bombardment…" Riku muttered, so softly the others scarcely heard him.

"We have to stop those ships!" Kairi insisted. "If they keep opening fire like this, thousands of people are going to die!"

Sora groaned in frustration, placing his head in his hands, spiky brown hair falling in front of his face. "I know… But Sephiroth's still headed for the Heartless Factory. He may already be there. We need to stop him from getting that technology. He could hurt countless people with that capability…"

"He's _killing_ thousands of people right now!" the auburn-haired princess shot back, fire burning in her sapphire eyes.

"We need to split up." Riku stated. It wasn't a suggestion. It was the only solution. "You and I can go after Sephiroth, and Kairi can get back to the Gummi and-"

"No way, Riku!" Sora replied vehemently. "I'm not letting Kairi go alone! It's too dangerous! Besides, the Gummi Ship would need two of us, a pilot and someone to operate weapons!"

"And you think it won't take two of us at least to take down Sephiroth?" Riku retorted. "I know, I know, you've beaten him in the Coliseum before, but you and I both know he was probably holding back in that, and-!"

"Uh, Riku?"

"What?"

"Where's Kairi?"

The two teens stopped their argument for a moment, and looked out towards the raging inferno and laser blasts that were pulverising the town to find Kairi, her small figure vanishing into the smoke, running for the Gummi Ship. Sora started to run after her, but felt Riku pull him back.

"Let her go. We need to get to Ansem's old palace. Now."

Sora grumbled. If Kairi got hurt because of this- he'd never be able to forgive himself. But Riku was right. He was _always_ right. They needed to go after Sephiroth. So, casting one last look towards the devastation that was moving out of the town square, but away from the palace, he ran after Riku as they continued their search for Sephiroth.

.-.-.-.

"'It's too dangerous. I'm not letting her go alone.'" Kairi scoffed to herself, mimicking Sora's concerned tone. She knew he was worried about her, but really, it was him who was hopeless without her and Riku helping him out.

"I'm not a child. I'm not just a damsel in distress." she muttered acidly as she clambered into the Gummi Ship, taking the controls. She had payed close attention as Sora and Riku flew and worked on weapons earlier, so she had a feeling she could pilot the ship as well. "I can do this."

She narrowed her eyes, her face set determinedly as she started up the engines for the Gummi Ship. She had never faced Sephiroth before, had no idea what his story was, but whatever it was, she didn't care. The others her friends had faced might have stolen hearts, caused countless damage and many people to be lost, but they never truly killed an enemy. When Sephiroth chose to have his minions bombard the main city, and kill countless people, he had completely and utterly crossed the line, even in Kairi's totally pure, ever-forgiving heart. Now, it was time to make him pay.

With that thought in mind, as she approached the Cruisers opening fire on the planet, she took ahold of the Blizzaga Gummies' trigger, and fired relentlessly upon the ships.

.-.-.-.

Squall Leonhart brushed his hair out of his grey eyes, still poring over the data being sent in from the battle above. Their forces had finally realized the purpose of the Cruisers, and were now doing everything they could to bring them down. Apparently, the keybearer or one of his friends was now helping them fight against the force threatening to destroy the surface of the planet. He heard the telltale sound of a dark portal opening and closing behind him, and whirled around, gunblade in hand, only to find his sword clashing with another of its own kind.

"Now, now, Squall. It's been about ten years. Is this any way to greet an old schoolmate?" a mocking voice queried.

Squall hardly needed to look at the scarred face and intense eyes glaring into his own to realize who was confronting him. "Seifer… I thought you had gotten past this whole childish rivalry."

"Now, you see, I might have remembered something along those lines-" Seifer began, his tone perfectly amiable, "if it weren't for the little problem of this _world erasing my memories after it got destroyed last time!_"

Squall's gunblade got forced out of the way, and Seifer swung his blade back towards the brown-haired man, only for his efforts to be blocked by Squall's blade once more.

"Listen, Seifer. Sephiroth is manipulating you. You're not in your right mind!" Squall insisted, pleading with his former rival. He didn't want to be forced into a situation where he would have to kill him. Not again.

"You're the one who's not in his right mind!" Seifer retorted. "You think he's manipulating me, but as I recall, you knew what Ansem's twisted apprentices were up to. You knew, and didn't say anything. Thanks to that, this world got consumed by darkness, and thanks to that, I've only got a shoddy imitation of what my memory should be! So, the only reason we're here now, fighting, is because of _you_!"

They parried blows for a few moments, jarring Squall back to the time when they had been sparring before the SeeD field exam. The fight when both of them had gotten their scars, back when their rivalry was the strongest. And now, it seemed, Sephiroth had managed to manipulate Seifer so that he hated Squall once more. And this time, there would be no satisfaction until Seifer had his head.

"Leon!" a pair of younger voices cried out, startling Squall out of his battle-induced reminiscence.

Mercifully, Seifer had been distracted by the intrusion as well, or else Squall would have suffered an incredibly nasty slash wound to the ribs. As he looked in the doorway, he saw the familiar figures of Sora and Riku looking concernedly at him.

"Friends of yours, Squall?" Seifer asked, his tone back to mockingly amiable.

"Leave him alone, Seifer." Sora ordered. "Leave him alone, or we're gonna make you leave him alone."

"Three on one?" Seifer asked incredulously. "Now _that's_ hardly fair. I'd need a blindfold."

"_Two_ on one." Squall corrected. "I can handle this myself, but I doubt you'll listen to me on that. Sora, Riku, one of you needs to make a break for it. Sephiroth's probably already in towards the main area by now. I've had to stay here and monitor the Gummi Ship battle above, but Cid and Cloud were there to fight off any intruders."

The two teens exchanged a look.

"You deal with Seifer. You might be able to talk some sense into him." Riku whispered to Sora. "I'll go and deal with Sephiroth."

And with that, the silver haired boy tore down one of the hallways towards the main Heartless Factory area.

Seifer smirked as Sora entered the room, summoning the Oathkeeper in an attack position. The two brown-haired opponents moved for their blond antagonist, and he commented, "This should be fun…"

.-.-.-.

Flying the Gummi Ship was taking all of Kairi's focus. She barrel-rolled to avoid a far-too-close volley of laser fire, and proceeded to answer in kind with the ship's Ultima Gummies, all of which where trained on one of the Cruisers bombarding the planet- and her forces. After a moment's delay, the blasts were fired, crashing into the Cruiser and causing a lot of hull damage. Another of the Radiant Garden fliers came behind her, and made short work of the remains of the Cruiser wth Fira Gummies, causing it to explode into a million pieces.

_If only the others could see me now._ Kairi thought wistfully. _Then they'd know I don't need them protecting me all the time._

She moved slightly to the side to avoid the missiles a Bomber was sending her direction, allowing them to collide with a Mini Cruiser in front of her, causing it to burst into fiery bits of shrapnel. She closed in directly above one of the Cruisers, opening fire upon its upper levels with Blizzaga and Ultima firepower, but soon had to pull out as it emitted a large green laser that incinerated three of her allies' ships firing upon the same target. Though she avoided the brunt of the blast, one of her wings still caught the edge of the deadly laser beam, which was causing the computer systems on the ship to squawk at her incessantly about the damage being done. The ship's hull hadn't been breached, she reasoned, so she was fine. Though, the wing had been significantly damaged, which was making the ship considerably harder to maneuver.

_Forget maneuvering._ Kairi thought, trigger finger ready to unless a maelstrom of Blizzaga fire upon the Cruiser that had cost her friends three allies. _All I need to do is destroy enough of them to send them into retreat and get the offensive to stop._

And another Cruiser was split in half, its internal oxygen consuming it in fast-burning flames in the airless depths of space.

.-.-.-.

Riku's breath was hitching in his chest as he ran full tilt for the main computer room of Radiant Garden, which was just above the Heartless factory. He had seen blood on the walls and floor, and found himself praying it wasn't from any of his comrades. He found Cid and Cloud, both barely conscious, in the room with Xehanort's portrait. Sephiroth must have gotten to them first.

As he rounded one of the final corners, he saw that the Heartless Factory had now been made active. He was too late to stop the brunt of Sephiroth's offensive, but at least he could help minimize the damage. However, as he entered the room where the silver-haired man lay in wait, he heard a high-pitched ringing noise getting louder and louder in his ears. He placed his head in his hands, and braced himself for another attack like he had faced on the islands. His muscles seized up, and he found himself collapsing just outside the door. The sound must have registered in Sephiroth's hearing, for he turned around to face Riku, and the visions flashing before his eyes went mad. He was standing in a burning town. Sephiroth was advancing towards him. His mother… Those traitors had betrayed his trust. The silver-haired man smirked. His entire life- all of it- was little more than a lie, a joke, some twisted experiment. Sephiroth waved a hand, and the onslaught of visions and memories stopped.

As Riku lay gasping for breath on the floor, his opponent spoke to him for the first time. "That attack was intended for Cloud. It's odd that you, too, should be affected, when only those with Mother's cells can be…"

The silver-haired teen couldn't make sense of what the man was trying to imply. He was still trying to catch his breath, get his strength up. And the moment he did, he would-

"You would attack me the moment I decided not to deem you a threat? Impressive tactical thinking. A bit basic, but also very underhanded. Taking advantage of underestimation is a smart move, but not one that's going to work against me. I've used- and seen it used- too many times before." Sephiroth noted smugly, leaving Riku in shock. How had he known what he was thinking?

"Great minds think alike, I suppose." the silver-haired man answered the unspoken question. "Another of the many… _similarities_ we share."

"You and I…" Riku growled, starting to get to his feet, "are _nothing_ alike."

Way to the Dawn appeared in Riku's right hand, answering his summons, and he charged for his opponent. His first strike was easily, almost lazily dodged by the silver-haired swordsman. Sephiroth summoned Masamune to his hands, and stood in a battle-ready position. Neither moved for a moment, and Riku charged, believing himself to have spotted an opening in the older man's guard. Unfortunately, Sephiroth noticed what he was doing, and easily blocked the attempted strike. Riku dodged the first attack directed towards him, feinting to the left, then slashing at his opponent's right arm while he was attacking the place where Riku was mere moments beforehand. Sephiroth twisted out of the way to avoid the worst of the damage, but Way to the Dawn's edge still caught his arm, and left a rather nasty gash, which began healing almost as soon as it was formed.

"Impressive." Sephiroth noted, a very slight inflection of surprise worming into his voice. "I find it interesting that you have such combat instincts, even for such an undeveloped warrior."

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked defensively.

Sephiroth smirked. "Haven't you ever wondered how you were able to battle so well going off of pure instinct? Instinct, and your own common sense? Isn't it odd that, even as a child, you possessed strength and agility beyond that which any of the others on your islands had?"

The silver-haired man moved so quickly he was a blur of motion to attack Riku, expecting to catch the boy off guard, but found Masamune blocked by the Keyblade the boy held. The child smirked at him, which was quite infuriating, and taunted, "You'll have to do better than that."

Sephiroth backed off, and calmly stated, "Any mere mortal would never have been able to stop that attack. And you are not the chosen Keyblade Master. So. What are you? Do you even know?"

"I'm- complicated." Riku's response came out sounding a lot less confident than he had heard it in his mind. Yes, complicated was the right word for him. Truth be told, he never knew why he had been so much better than the others. He just wrote it off as one of those things he was good at.

"Ah… Interesting. So you _don't_ know."

Riku did not like the new tone the older man's voice had taken. A tone which said he had either figured out a weakness, or pieced together some unpleasant revelation.

"The speed, the strength, the hair, the eyes… The fact that you're affected by JENOVA cell manipulation, even on attacks meant for another implies the connection… It's a wonder that you yourself haven't worked it out yet…" Sephiroth stated, circling Riku like a vulture, a predatory look creeping into his eyes.

"What are you saying?" Riku wondered, desperation starting to emerge in his voice. He was tired of all these mind games. If Sephiroth knew something, then why didn't he just say it?

Seeing the boy's reaction, Sephiroth decided it was time to go for the throat. "What do you know of your father?"

Whatever response Riku had died in his throat. He had not been expecting that sort of a question. Miffed about this turn of events, he shot back, "He's dead. My mom told me he died before I was born. Why do you care?"

At this information, Sephiroth began laughing mirthlessly, a sound which sent shivers down Riku's spine. "Why am I not surprised? Lied to about your origins… You really are just like me."

"What are you driving at? Answer me!" Riku demanded.

"Your father isn't dead."

With that one statement, all the counter-arguments, all the responses, all thoughts within him were shattered. The sheer impossibility of the statement was overwhelming, and only one word could form in his mind as a response. "What?"

The ever-present smug smirk on the older man's face spread wider, revealing some of his teeth. "Your father is not dead, Riku. He's very much alive. Alive, well, and standing right before your very eyes."

The implication of that statement was not lost on the silver-haired teen, and his eyes widened ever larger as the realization struck him. "No…"

Sephiroth chuckled to himself. "So, you finally realize it. Yes. That's right, Riku. I am your father."

"You're lying." Riku stated in response, trying not to show how utterly shaken he was by Sephiroth's words. Even as he said it, he could feel his heart descending as if he had recognized his words as a lie. It wasn't true, Sephiroth had to be lying! His mother would never deceive him about something so important. But even as he thought this, he could feel the pieces logically slipping into place. Silver hair was not a very common trait, even less common paired with those turquoise eyes he and Sephiroth very nearly shared. He had always been stronger, smarter than the others, and had never questioned why. And the attacks he was having were proof, absolute, utter proof that they were connected through JENOVA cells, which he could never have been exposed to on the islands…

His mind was trying, desperately trying to shield itself from the information that wasn't true, couldn't be true, but made so much sense. It was something that, if he accepted it, could make his mind snap. His mother, his friends would never lie to him, he knew that, and yet…

While he tried to keep the fragments of his mind from utterly shattering, he was barely aware of Sephiroth shutting down the Heartless factory, taking out a disk, and exiting the room with a dark portal. He knew he had let the others down, but at the moment, he really didn't care. All of his focus was spent on protecting himself from the truth that was a lie, the lie that had to be true, and keeping his psyche intact. It wasn't until much later that he realized he was muttering to himself, over and over, "It can't be… It can't be… It can't be…"

.-.-.-.

Sora dodge-rolled beneath one of Seifer's slash attacks, striking at his adbomen with Oathkeeper, only to have his own blade accidentally stop one of Squall's attacks to that same area, leaving Seifer totally unharmed. This Seifer was a lot faster, and a lot stronger than the one he had fought in Struggle so often in Twilight Town. As Squall made a slicing impact into Seifer's ribs, Sora jumped over the blond antagonist, and slashed across his back, leaving a very heavily bleeding wound behind him.

"All right. Now you're really starting to tick me off." Seifer growled, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. "You two wanna play hardball? Fine by me. I'll show you No Mercy."

Squall's stormy grey eyes went wide at the mention of his old rival's Limit Break. He still had plenty of strength to survive it, but Sora was starting to look a bit worse for the wear. Seifer's blade was already beginning to glow red, and he raised his sword to strike when-

"Almasy. What part of 'remain on the ship and do not commence bombardment until my word' was too complex for you to understand?" a much lower voice cut in, sounding very much annoyed.

Seifer's eyes widened, and his expression clearly stated that he had, in coming to fight Sora and Squall, been doing something he was not supposed to do. "…"

A dark portal opened between Seifer and the other combatants, and a very familiar silver-haired figure stepped out of it.

"Sephiroth!" Sora shouted, brandishing Oathkeeper threateningly.

Sephiroth ignored the cry of identification from the young Keyblade bearer, focusing all his attention on his disobedient minion. This was the very reason why he despised having to depend on others that he could not completely control. "You had your orders. And you chose to disobey them."

"That's typical of the old Seifer…" Squall muttered under his breath.

The silver-haired man was in no mood whatsoever to deal with interruptions. "Beasts should learn to stay out of matters that do not concern them."

And with that, Sephiroth unleashed a swift attack that left Squall bleeding profusely on the ground. He wouldn't die from the injuries, but they would hurt for a long time to come. He turned back to face Seifer, and commanded, "You. Back to the main Cruiser. I have all the information I require. Call off the bombardment, and do it _now_. You've already disobeyed one order, and the punishment for that will be severe enough. Don't fail me again."

"We'll fight again some other time, Squall." Seifer vowed before vanishing into a dark portal alongside his current employer.

Sora and Squall exchanged a nervous glance before simultaneously realizing that, if Sephiroth had just been there, he must have defeated and injured Riku, and running down the halls towards the Heartless factory.

.-.-.-.

Kairi wiped some sweat from her brow as another Cruiser finally exploded beneath the barrage of energy blasts coming from her Gummi Ship. She couldn't keep this offense up much longer. Mercifully, a few short moments later, the Cruisers ceased fire, and began to vanish at a rate which indicated Sephiroth's forces were in full retreat. She and the few Radiant Garden pilots left cheered at the sight, but her joy was swiftly replaced by fear and worry as she remembered the two boys still down on the world's surface. She hoped they were okay.

After landing the Gummi Ship just outside the wreckage that was once the town square, Kairi began running through the streets of her childhood home, almost on instinct. She never could remember anything about the place when she tried, but in these times, when she was desperate, directions came to her easily. She glanced at her surroundings, and saw many that were clearly dead from being crushed by debris or fried by the lasers themselves or the explosions they caused. Thankfully, Aerith and Yufie had survived, and Aerith was currently tending to the wounded who could possibly be saved.

Adrenaline pounded through the princess's veins, carrying her onward and forward through the passages of Ansem the Wise's old palace. When she finally arrived at the room where the Heartless Factory lay, she paused to catch her breath, and looked hesitantly around the room. Cloud, Squall, and Cid looked like they had been badly injured, but were recovering. Sora had mild cuts, but seemed to be fine.

"Sora!" she cried out, running to embrace him.

The spiky-haired teen wrapped the auburn-haired girl in his arms, so happy she had survived that foolhardy action she had taken earlier that it moved him to the point of tears. "Kairi. I'm so glad you're safe!"

"I told you, I don't need your protection." Kairi noted, mock-hitting Sora in the chest. Her expression became much more serious a moment later as she asked, "What about Sephiroth?"

"He got away." Cloud grumbled, a spark of anger and pure hatred slipping into his eyes.

"And I'm afraid that's the least of our problems…" Sora sighed, gesturing at the floor behind him.

Kairi looked where Sora gestured, and gasped. Riku was laying on the floor, curled up like a developing baby in its mother's womb, apparently unconscious, muttering to himself over and over and over again, "It can't be… It can't be… It can't be…"

.-.-.-.

As always, reviews are much appreciated.


	7. Recovering the Past

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over any characters or locations used: all of those belong to Disney and Square Enix.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Six- Recovering the Past

"That was an exceedingly rash move back there, Sephiroth." a hunched over figure noted as the aforementioned silver-haired man entered the room, pushing its glasses up its nose. "Making a statement like that based off of an assumption with no testing to back it up."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the scientist's words. He had never had much patience for Hojo, even before realizing his true purpose, but now the man grated on his nerves like never before. It was regrettable that he had to, to a degree, depend on Hojo's ability to create abominations to keep the key-bearing heroes distracted. "That's one thing you never learned, Hojo. Some things don't need to be tested endlessly. Some things… can be sensed."

Hojo smiled, his lips pulling back to reveal yellowing, crooked teeth. He laughed, a high, lingering sound which spoke of insanity. "A 'father's instinct', is it? A father 'just knows these things', right?"

"Were the similarities in appearance not already staggering evidence, the fact that the boy contains Mother's cells, despite being on an island lightyears away from her influence is absolute proof." Sephiroth retorted. "I could hardly believe it myself, at first, but when I started to think back-"

Hojo raised an eyebrow. "Oh-ho? Someone got a bit careless?"

Sephiroth laughed. "'Careless'. Why am I talking about this with _you_?"

The scientist smirked. "Well, I'm sure I don't know. Perhaps it's another 'connection' you're subconsciously sensing."

Hojo began laughing once more, only to be cut off by Sephiroth pressing Masamune lightly against the base of his throat. Sephiroth glared at the man, cat-like eyes flaring as he said, "Just focus on the task at hand. Do what you will with Almasy. Torture him, poison him, use him in your experiments, I couldn't care less. Just make sure he knows never to risk my ire again."

"And what about the key bearers? What about you?" Hojo queried.

"I've already sent Valentine to a world they are likely to visit to take care of our teenaged trio, though they are likely to be immobilized by my son's apparent descent into a near-catatonic state for several days." the former General answered matter-of-factly. "As for myself... I have an old acquaintance of mine on the Destiny Islands whom I haven't seen in about seventeen years."

And with that, Sephiroth walked into a dark portal, and vanished from sight.

.-.-.-.

They had been stuck in Radiant Garden for almost three days. Riku had not recovered from his mental shutdown until several hours after the fact, and immediately after that, he demanded to go to the Radiant Garden archives to look at the information pertaining to Sephiroth and anything relating to the JENOVA project. Sora had been more than willing to let Riku do his research, but when the silver-haired teen decided to hole himself up in there and refuse to speak with anyone for days on end, needless to say, he became more than slightly annoyed. Annoyed- and worried. And he wasn't the only one. Kairi, of course, went on and on about Riku needing to get some sleep, and Cloud- well, Cloud had told Sora point blank that this was exactly the course of action that Sephiroth had taken… Right before he…

The spiky-haired teen shook his head to clear it. _No way… Riku wouldn't… This isn't the same as what Cloud's talking about. This is different._

"Sora?" a quiet voice asked.

The Keyblade Wielder turned around to find Aerith looking concernedly at him. "Oh. Hi Aerith."

"I was just wondering if you're okay." the flower girl commented, answering the unspoken question. "I know you're worried about Riku. We all are."

"Yeah, but not for the same reasons…" Sora shot back. "Well… kind of for the same reason. I know in my heart that Riku would never betray Kairi and I again, but what Cloud said… And knowing that he's related to Sephiroth, well… it kinda creeps me out… I know he's my friend, and I shouldn't treat him any differently because of who he's related to, but-"

"I know." Aerith finished. "Listen, Sora… You have a good heart. A better heart than most others, and…" She hesitated momentarily. "If Riku _were_ to fall, as Sephiroth did, I know you'd be able to bring him back to us."

"Thanks for the reassurance." Sora murmured quietly. "But he's not going to become like Sephiroth. Kairi and me aren't gonna let him. And- he's not gonna let himself do that either."

Aerith looked pensively at Sora, emerald eyes sparkling in the moonlight, for the sun had set many hours beforehand. "You're right. He won't. I'm sorry. Anyway, it's late. Kairi's already asleep for the night, and you need your rest too."

The flower girl then stepped behind Sora, and began pushing him towards the make-shift inn the others had set up in one of the more spacious chambers.

"Okay, okay." Sora yielded, smiling. "I'm going."

Aerith, satisfied, walked off, and Sora cast one last glance back towards the closed and locked library door. _Riku… please… get out of there soon…_

.-.-.-.

Riku could tell that he had fallen asleep. He knew he was dreaming, and not just dreaming, but remembering. It was obvious to him because he could see himself, as a child, running up to his mother, who was relaxing in the foyer.

"_Mom…"_ dream-Riku began, almost whining, _"today at school we were talking about our families, and all the other kids talked about their dads."_

Riku watched his mother's emerald eyes widen slightly before she sighed, brushing sea-green locks out of her eyes. He remembered, vaguely, this day from kindergarten where he had first heard about his father.

"_Mommy… where is my daddy?"_ dream-Riku asked, aquamarine eyes wide and innocent. _"Why don't I have a daddy like the other kids?"_

The present Riku watched his mother closely, and saw that she had closed her eyes as if she was steeling herself for something unpleasant- or fighting off an unwelcome memory.

After a long moment's pause, she answered, _"Your father is dead. He- he died many years ago, before you were born."_

Though his dream-based child form could not see it, could not comprehend it, the teenaged Riku knew as he witnessed his mother's answer that she was lying. In some form or another, she was lying.

"Mom! Why are you lying to me? _Mom!_" Riku shouted as he witnessed his dream self nod understandingly, then run off to play.

The reminiscence was being pulled back into the faded corners of his subconscious, sealing his cries in the void of his oldest memories, and he awoke crying his mother's name.

After taking a moment to reacquaint himself with his surroundings, Riku placed his head in his hands, massaging his temples as he looked back on the material he had been reading before he dozed off.

'_Year XXXX'- Odd, they must have censored the date out for some reason…_ he thought to himself. _'Specimen discovered in two thousand year old geological stratum. Subject believed to be last surviving remnant of the Ancients or Cetra. Professor Gast classifies it as such and names the specimen JENOVA.'_

Riku slammed the book shut after that. He had been locked in there for days, and had yet to find anything to prove or disprove that Sephiroth was related to him. Or, come to think of it, anything that made the slightest bit of sense which wasn't completely insane. Riku could understand scientific jargon fairly well, but these reports on the JENOVA project kept conflicting one another, and weren't making any sense.

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku caught a slight motion, whirled around, and found himself confronted with Sephiroth, who was pacing around the room with an open book, muttering to himself. Riku summoned Way to the Dawn, and charged for the silver-haired man when he paused in place as if to ask a question to the heavens, only to have his blade sink right through the antagonist, causing him to vanish.

"Wha-?" Riku asked breathlessly. "Was it… an illusion?"

Mere seconds after the question left his mouth, the high-pitched ringing noise began in the silver-haired teen's ears, so loudly it almost felt like someone was trying to shatter his eardrums. He heard Way to the Dawn clatter as it hit the floor, and above the ringing, he heard an all-too-familiar voice calling to him.

"_Riku… You can't fight your fate…"_ Sephiroth stated, infuriatingly calm, in the boy's mind.

"Sh-shut up!" Riku stuttered, clutching his hands to his head.

"_We share common blood. You know this, yet still you deny me? Why hide from the truth? Why flee your father, your deliverer? Even as you struggle to avoid my actions, you end up becoming my mirror image, my perfect avatar. The next Chosen of Mother's lineage." _Sephiroth taunted, making Riku's blood boil.

Riku staggered, hands still clutched over his head, towards a bookshelf, threatening to knock it down. "Get. Out. Of. My. Head!"

His fist collided in a vicious backhand with the bookshelf, sending it toppling to the floor. Though there was no way Sephiroth could have heard the noise from whatever distant location he was in, the motion was distraction enough to get him to leave Riku's mind without a parting word.

Aquamarine eyes wildly searched the room a moment more before deciding there was no more threat. Looking down at the fallen bookshelf, Riku groaned to himself, realizing someone would have heard that for sure. Well, it wasn't like he was getting any answers in there anyway.

_There's only one person I can ask about this to get a straight answer from…_ Riku thought to himself as he stepped outside of the library for the first time in days.

"I'm going to see my mother." Riku stated calmly, almost emotionlessly, more to himself than to anyone else. He was, to say the least, unprepared for the response he was met with.

"What." Cloud asked, his tone nothing short of hateful.

"My mother on the islands." Riku corrected, seeing that, apparently, he had crossed the resemblance line too much for Cloud's liking- again. "Where are the others?"

"Asleep." the blond swordsman answered curtly. "It's nearly two in the morning."

"And why, exactly, were you hovering outside the library door?" the teen asked, more than slightly offended at the thought of being watched over- or, perhaps, guarded.

"Taking Sora's place." Cloud replied. "He was out here waiting on you for an entire day after your little nervous breakdown and insistance upon being allowed in there."

"Oh." Riku murmured. He suddenly felt a twinge of regret for having worried his friends to such a degree. Then again, they did have a fair reason to be worried. After all, they _had_ just discovered that he was, potentially, closely related to their main antagonist. It would make sense that they'd be a little nervous in trusting him after-

_Whoa!_ Riku exclaimed mentally, realizing where that train of thought was leading him. _Don't start thinking like that. Sora and Kairi aren't the type to begrudge a supposed familial tie with the enemy. I know they wouldn't use that as reason not to trust me- And they do trust me, so it's a moot point… right?_

Riku ignored Cloud's offer for guidance to the area where the others were sleeping, choosing to find his own way. He hated that there was any question in his mind at all as to whether or not his friends trusted him. That question should never be present. It had led him down a dark path last time, and he refused to let those same doubts allow for a repeat offense. He wished, oh so desperately wished, that he could just implicitly believe in his friends, believe that they trusted in him, but he knew, deep down, that he himself had given them reason not to…

It was on that dark and self-doubting note that the silver-haired Keyblade wielder drifted into the darkness of sleep.

.-.-.-.

Sunset on the Destiny Islands was quite a beautiful sight, what with the amber sun sinking just below the waterline on the coast, painting the sky shades of gold, coral, and lavender. It was this view that the green-haired woman loved the most about being here, though, in her heart, she longed to reunite with her lost companions and return home. Suddenly, she heard a subtle rustling behind her, and all the warmth was drained from the evening. She heard footsteps behind her, and dared not turn around, for fear of what- or who- she would find.

"Good to see you, Rydia." a deep voice greeted, falsely amiable.

At the sound of his voice, Rydia felt a chill run down her spine. _Oh gods… Not him again…_

Aloud, she asked, "What are you doing here, Sephiroth?"

"It's been seventeen years since our last meeting, and you give me a greeting like that? I'm wounded." the One-Winged Angel replied flatly. "And after our… _history_ together."

"'History'. What history?" Rydia scoffed. "You come here, stay for a night, and then leave me to carry the burden. What history is there?"

Sephiroth chuckled in his throat, coming so close to the woman that she could feel his body heat behind her. Or rather, would feel his body heat if not for the shivers of revulsion running across her sylph-like frame.

"Why did you come here, Sephiroth, really?" Rydia demanded. He had been inside her, body and mind, once before, and she was not going to let him have that kind of power again.

"Merely to congratulate you. Our son is indeed very powerful." he answered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He will make an excellent demigod in my new world."

"_My_ son," the summoner corrected, "is going to destroy you before any of your twisted plans see fruition. He's not as weak-hearted as you would believe. And neither am I. Take your hands off of me."

Sephiroth used his free hand to twist the woman's head around so his cat-like irises were glaring into her green ones. "And if I don't?"

Rydia reached down to her side, where she felt the coils of her trusty whip gather in her hands. In a lightning-fast motion, she unfurled the whip, twisting out of Sephiroth's grasp, and cracked it towards him. The silver-haired man leaped backwards fast enough to avoid getting tangled, but the end of the whip still caught his face, leaving a rapidly-healing gash behind it.

"Sneaky little witch." Sephiroth spat venomously as the wound healed. "I should have your head for that. But- no, I'll save the pleasure of killing you for Riku. After all, _you_ were the one who lied to him… Oh yes, he knows the truth now. My poison is already in his veins. All it needs is to fester on his own self-doubt, and he will come to me."

"Riku will _never_ become like you." the mage replied, absolute determination written on her face. "I will not let him."

The One-Winged Angel laughed wryly as he vanished in a puff of feathers, with one last comment echoing behind him. "And what makes you think you can change his mind?"

.-.-.-.

The next morning, Sora, Riku, and Kairi set out to the Gummi Ship, which Cid had repaired free of charge as thanks for Kairi's assistance in holding off the orbital assault, prepared to leave this world, and fly to a new one. As the exited the atmosphere, Riku decided once again to voice his wish. "I want to go talk to my mother on the islands."

"I understand, Riku, but we have a duty to fulfill first…" Kairi stated hesitantly. "Sephiroth will be expecting us to go there, or take a break from hunting down his minions. It's what he wants. So, we have to keep going."

"But…" Riku interjected.

"Kairi's right." Sora cut in, his tone making it very clear the discussion was over. "I know what Sephiroth told you is troubling you, but he's a bad guy, right? And bad guys always lie, don't they? So you don't really have anything to worry about."

"When you put it like that, that makes it sound like everything's fine." Riku noted, his fears starting to fade- slightly. Sora saw this matter so simply. If only he could see it the same way…

"Well, we'll worry about Sephiroth's lies later." Sora said, a goofy grin starting to spread across his face. "I wanna see how Jack's doing. And who knows? Given how dreary the place is, we might meet up with Vincent again."

"Yeah." Kairi agreed. "And then we can get him back to our side. So let's go!"

"Roger that." Sora replied, smiling. "Next stop, Halloween Town!"

.-.-.-.

As always, comments are appreciated. Flames are not. Criticism, when it's constructive, is fine.


	8. Noble Demons and Fallen Heroes

Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership over the characters, locations, or names used in this fanfiction. All rights belong to their respective copyright owners. And, seriously, if you're resorting to suing me over something like this, then you really have way too much time on your hands.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Seven- Noble Demons and Fallen Heroes

Though Sora had described Halloween Town as being a 'dreary' place, Riku honestly found the look of the world equally as cartoonish as many of the others they had visited. Perhaps it was a bit… off from some of its more light-hearted counterparts, but the twisted world didn't seem like that bad of a place to be.

_Though…_ _I do wish we didn't have to change appearance so severely to fit in here…_ Riku thought to himself, scratching at his currently fur-covered neck.

Sora neglected to tell his friends that their appearances might change a bit upon arriving on the world to protect the 'World Order', so it came as quite a surprise to Riku and Kairi when they stepped onto the planet's surface and felt themselves changing. Kairi's pink outfit had turned black, and was torn in several places, but other than that, the only noticeable change for her was the appearance of a garish-looking witch's hat on her head. Sora, of course, had taken on his typical vampiric appearance for this world. Riku, unfortunately, had his appearance alter the most of the three. He had yet to see his reflection, but from the fur he could see and feel on his body, he thought he had likely become some form of werewolf-creature.

"Aww, don't look so glum, Riku." Sora said cheerily. "It's only temporary, and it's not like it _hurt_ or anything, right?"

Riku shook his head. "No. It didn't hurt, but it isn't exactly comfortable having fur all over you and having it itch like crazy."

"Look on the bright side. At least the world's just affecting us physically. We'd be in a lot of trouble if it started messing with our heads." Kairi noted, a smile on her face.

"Easy for you to say." Riku shot back. "You changed the least of all of us. Though… if I start getting any compulsions to howl at the moon or something, I'll let you know."

Sora smirked, and moved quickly enough to block Riku's path. He moved his arms as if he was wrapped in a cape, and said, "Bleh! I vant to suck your blahd!"

Riku tried for several seconds to keep a straight face, but he knew from the beginning that he was fighting a losing battle in that regard. After a moment's pause, he burst out laughing, followed swiftly by the others. Though they all knew their mission was a serious one, they treasured moments like this where they could make light of their duty. After their fits of the giggles had passed, the teenaged trio walked into the Halloween Town Square, where they found the amazingly tall skeleton that was Jack Skellington deep in discussion with the Town Mayor.

"Hey Jack!" Sora called out, running over towards the skeletal performer. Riku and Kairi followed closely behind him.

"Hello Sora!" Jack Skellington greeted amiably. "Oh! Are these your friends?"

Sora nodded. "Yep. This is Kairi-"

Jack nodded towards the princess who was now costumed as a witch, and she waved back at him. "Hi there."

"And Riku."

Riku looked up towards Jack's face, and nodded in acknowledgement. Considering he had rather wanted to discuss the whole 'related to Sephiroth' situation with his mother on the islands, this world was truly beginning to wear on his patience.

"So good to see you all here in such amazingly frightful form!" Jack replied, spreading his arms in a grand gesture. "Sora, I trust you'll help me with the preparations for this year's Halloween Festival?"

Sora opened his mouth to accept the offer only to be met with a very sharp elbow to the back. Sora turned back to glare at Riku, who only shook his head. Sora silently sighed, slumping over, defeated, before turning back to face Jack. "Nope. Sorry. Can't help you this year. We're kind of on a mission. Jack. Have there been any new arrivals in town aside from us recently?"

Jack placed a bony hand beneath his chin, and rubbed it thoughtfully. "Well… there was a delightfully frightful newcomer in town about a week ago. Long black hair, red eyes, gold gauntlet. I asked him about participating in the festival, but he just ignored me."

The skeletal performer seemed quite miffed about being ignored by the newcomer, but Riku, Sora, and Kairi exchanged knowing glances. Sora's instinct had been right. Vincent had been sent here.

"That sounds like who we're looking for." Kairi noted. "He's a friend of a friend, and we really need to meet up with him again."

"Right." Sora continued, playing along with Kairi's more diplomatic move. "So, can you help us find him?"

"Jack! This festival isn't going to prepare itself, you know!" the Town Mayor whined, his voice echoing across the Town Square. The Mayor wandered over to where Jack was, his sad and angry face currently showing. "It starts in a week at midnight!"

Jack turned back to the heroes, a slight groan in his voice as he replied, "Sorry, Sora, but my hands are full with the preparations for the Halloween Festival next week. I'd love to help, but I don't have the time. Tell you what, though. Why don't you and your friends poke around for a bit, and I'll catch up with you later."

At that, the Mayor grabbed Jack by both skeletal hands, and started dragging him back towards Doctor Finklestein's house.

"I'd start looking in the Hinterlands!" Jack shouted back before the door to the doctor's house slammed behind him.

"…O…kay…" Sora muttered. "I guess we better start looking in the Hinterlands!"

As the spiky-haired teen had been there multiple times before, he led the way into the aforementioned forest where the doorways to all the other holiday-themed towns were. Riku cast a cursory glance around the area. Vincent didn't seem to be hiding in the trees in the Hinterlands. Sora looked around at all the holiday doors, considering all the possible places where Vincent could be hiding.

"He isn't in this area…" Kairi noted, rather unnecessarily.

Sora sniggered as his gaze focused on one particular holiday door. "Hey, guys. Fifty munny says Vincent's hiding in there."

Riku and Kairi followed their friend's finger to find it indicating the tree emblazoned with a pink heart, a clear symbol of Valentine's day.

"Hahahahaha. No." Riku answered sarcastically.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Get serious, Sora."

"I have been. This whole trip." Sora whined. "And the one time I try to lighten the mood a bit, you guys-"

"Shhh!" Riku shushed, interrupting Sora's childish moment. "I hear something."

The entire trio was silenced for several moments. When no further apparent noises came, Sora said, "I don't hear anything. It was probably just your imagina-"

"Look out!" Riku shouted, shoving both of his friends out of the way. His protective dive had come only barely in time to avoid being struck by the golden (or were they brass?) boots of the rapidly descending Vincent Valentine.

Once Sora and Kairi recovered from having the wind knocked out of them, they joined Riku in drawing their Keyblades to fight against Vincent. Riku and Kairi summoned Way to the Dawn and Wrath of the Earth in their hands, while Sora opted for the Pumpkinhead blade, going along with the décor of their current location. Sora waited expectantly for a pause in the action that never came, for almost as soon as they had drawn their weapons, Vincent drew out a tri-barreled gun, and fired towards them. They scattered as soon as they saw where he was aiming, and the bullet whizzed harmlessly past them, landing with a loud THUNK into a tree.

"He's serious about getting rid of us this time!" Sora noted, starting to get very worried.

"Ya think?" Riku asked, dodge-rolling beneath another bullet aimed for where his head had been mere moments ago. "Sora. Kairi. We can't let him hit us. We may have healing magic, but there isn't that much we can do if we get shot."

"Right. So just don't get hit." Kairi agreed, nodding. "Unfortunately… that's easier said than done."

"Just follow my lead." Riku advised. "He's a ranged fighter, so he's probably not that strong close up. We just need to get to him."

And with that, the silver-haired teen charged for the raven-haired gunman right as the latter fired. Riku held up Way to the Dawn in defense, and the bullet ricocheted off of the blade, and elsewhere in the forest. He closed the distance between himself and Vincent in a few steps, and swung at him, only to have Vincent lean back just enough to dodge the blade. Sora, seeing his friend's plan, snuck around behind Vincent, prepared to hit him with his own Keyblade, but found his efforts blocked by Vincent's gauntlet, which the latter proceeded to use to throw the former across the clearing.

"Ugh!" Sora cried out as his back collided with the tree he had, ever so 'humorously' pointed out to his friends earlier. He could feel pain all up his back, but preferred that to the other likely alternative after being thrown into a tree. He saw Vincent's gun flash, and realized a nanosecond later that it was pointed towards him.

"Reflega!" he cast, praying the defensive spell was timed right.

Sora's timing was impeccable, and the bullet ricocheted off of the deflecting shield Sora summoned… straight towards Riku. Riku blocked the bullet with Way to the Dawn, sending it back towards Vincent, but it had lost enough momentum where the damage it caused upon collision with him was absolutely minimal. The silver-haired teen took advantage of the opening, sliding to the other side of the gunman and lunging for him. Kairi, too, saw the opening, and charged Vincent from the other side. Sora, on the other hand, decided to opt for fighting range with range, and fired off a Thundaga spell at the gunman. In the face of this three-pronged attack, the gunman's crimson eyes widened. There was no way out of this one. The Thundaga spell hit first, interrupting all nerve signals his body was trying to respond to, holding him paralyzed, which allowed the Princess of Heart to complete her slashing maneuver. Using all of his remaining willpower, Vincent fought against the electric bonds holding him to fire Cerberus, his faithful weapon, at the silver-haired teen lunging for what could have been a killing strike.

Riku could feel it the moment Vincent's bullets collided with his leg. The deadly velocity of those stylized pieces of heavy metal ripped easily through skin and blood vessels, sticking in muscle tissue, almost threatening to shatter bone. The attempted strike missed- badly- and Riku fell to the ground on the Hinterlands, clutching his leg in agony. Only two of the gun's bullets had hit him, and one of them had merely grazed the side of his leg, but the other one was stuck inside him. Riku grimaced at the thought, but he knew he'd have to dig out the bullet before healing his injuries, otherwise he'd seal the projectile- and any growing infections- inside his body as well.

"Riku! You okay?" Sora asked reflexively, his voice coming as though from a great distance.

Summoning as much clarity of thought as he could, Riku shot back, "Things could be better. Given that I've been _shot in the leg_, once I dig out the bullet and use a Cure Potion, I'll be fine."

The silver-haired teen's further response faded into silence upon realizing that Vincent was advancing for him. Made lame by the bullet still caught somewhere in his leg, there was no way he could escape, dodge, or block the bullet. He was as good as dead. Vincent levelled Cerberus with Riku's head, and prepared to pull the trigger, only to feel excruciating pain radiate across his back as Kairi made a leaping slash attack aimed for him. Growling in frustration, Vincent whipped around to face the girl, using his gauntlet-covered hand to cast the spell from the materia embedded within his arm. "Ultima!"

The princess's eyes widened. Even if she could have run in time, there was no defending against the ultimate offensive magic spell. The blast hit her at point-blank range, and sent her flying across the clearing, landing limply on the hard soil.

Aquamarine and sapphire eyes widened at the sight of the princess laying there like a rag doll. Neither of the two boys knew what to do. They waited expectantly, Riku probing his leg blindly for a cursory attempt to find the bullet which he felt somewhere in the hamstring area, for Kairi to recover from the attack. After several seconds, she failed to get up.

Finally finding the bullet, and delicately pulling it out, Riku tossed the projectile aside, and looked towards their opponent, who he quite honestly had expected to take advantage of the lull in the fight. To his shock, he found Vincent just standing there, staring blankly at the place where Kairi lay motionless. Riku downed a Cure Potion, and shakily stood up, looking over towards Sora, who, during this time, had run over to where Kairi was.

"Kairi?" Sora asked hesitantly, waiting for a response. "K… Kairi, please. Please, wake up."

Riku tried to run over to his friend, but his leg wasn't quite ready for the sudden motion, and his muscles seized up, causing him to fall to the ground once again. Sora would have to deal with this by himself, until he recovered enough strength to move.

After several moments of silence, Sora slowly stood up, the Keyblade shattering in his hands. "She did that to try and save Riku… And you just killed her… like she was _nothing_… You… You MONSTER!"

Vincent's eyes went wide at that final epithet, and he dropped Cerberus to the ground, slumping down seconds afterward. "To kill a child… one completely without sin… What have I done? This was never my intention…"

Riku's aquamarine eyes widened. Vincent appeared to be coming to his senses. He looked to Sora to assure him, and what he saw almost rent his heart in half. Sora had become like a Heartless once again, his entire form consumed in darkness, wisps of it streaming off of him. His blue eyes had become a bright, lucid yellow, and Riku could practically feel the anger and hatred dripping off of its body. Sora- could this even be called Sora? No, it was nothing like him. It was everything he was not. It was anti.- Anti-Sora charged for the prone gunman, prepared to avenge Kairi's supposed death. As the shadow of the avenger- and it was indeed his shadow- moved for its purpose, Riku noticed Kairi stirring near the back of the clearing. If she awoke, and saw Sora like _this_… No. No. Riku refused to allow the darkness consume his friend as it had once consumed him. So, summoning his strength, he ran full tilt for the area in front of the gunman, who now sat there, defenseless, almost as if he wanted to be undone in that instant. The silver-haired teen arrived just in time to block Sora's rampage, holding him back with Way to the Dawn.

Shadowy palms pressed against the blade that burned those of its kind, the Antiform snarled at the obstruction. Though it could no longer speak, the message was very clear. _Out of the way_.

"No." Riku replied determinedly. "I'm not going to let you do this. He regrets what was done, and, while far from innocent, is not trying to harm us now. I'm not going to let you hurt him."

Anti-Sora shoved even harder against the Keyblade, threatening to push it out of Riku's grasp. It was not going to allow its vengeance to be stopped by some foolish intruder. It prepared to rip the obstruction into shreds when it heard a voice calling it's host's name.

"So… ra?" Kairi asked groggily, struggling to sit up and see what was going on.

Anti-Sora roared in fury, feeling itself being pulled back within its host's heart. Riku watched nervously as the darkness began receeding from Sora's body, pooling around his heart before vanishing entirely, leaving Sora back in his vampiric outfit that he donned for this town. Having returned to his natural form, the Keyblade wielder collapsed on the ground, unconscious. It was clear he just needed some rest to recover from the attack.

Kairi, seeing the Keyblade wielder crumple to the ground, ran for her friends, only to stop short when she saw the gunman that had been their opponent on his knees before them. She knew he had seen the error of his ways, and held out her hand to help him up. Vincent looked up at the princess, who smiled at him, before taking the proffered hand and standing up.

"My apologies, Princess." Vincent murmured, drawing surprised looks from the two teenagers. "Were I not acting under orders, I never would have-"

"Uh… Vincent, please, call me Kairi." the red-haired girl insisted. "It's a bit odd to be called Princess when you haven't exactly had a place to reign over."

Riku pulled Sora up over one of his shoulders, and had to try to avoid smirking at the irony of the situation. At the end of the last battle against Xemnas, Sora had carried him. Now it was time to return the favor. He cast a glare at Vincent, asking, "Are you gonna help me carry him? Since this is kind of your fault."

Vincent nodded, and took the boy's other arm over his shoulder, following Kairi's lead to the Gummi Ship. Once Sora had been set down in the one cot they had on board, Riku and Kairi sat in the main captain's chairs in the cockpit, forcing Vincent to sit on the floor.

"All right. Now. Vincent. First things first. Do you want to go back to Radiant Garden and see Cloud and them? I'm sure they'd like to hear about your recovery." Kairi wondered, looking directly into the gunman's eyes.

Vincent shook his head. "No. Not until I've had a chance to atone for what I've done. Accepting Hades's bargain for my own selfish desires, injuring and nearly killing children… These actions are unforgiveable."

"Oh, really, Vincent, it's unnecessary. We've pretty well recovered from whatever harm was caused. No harm, no foul." Kairi reassured.

Vincent shifted uncomfortably. "I've done terrible things under Sephiroth's watch… Please. Allow me to accompany you. Maybe by aiding you in defeating Sephiroth, I can be forgiven for some of my previous actions."

"We appreciate your help, Vincent. Thank you. You can travel with us." Kairi said kindly, smiling once again at the raven haired gunman.

Though Riku believed Vincent's guilt had been real, a nagging voice at the back of his mind reminded him of the possibility that he had been an enemy. "Are you sure about this, Kairi? He could easily shoot us in the back if we're not careful."

Kairi considered it for a moment. "He could. But he won't. I believe him. I trust him."

Riku sighed. It was useless trying to talk her out of it once she made up her mind about a person. _Kairi… You are too pure-hearted for your own good… Sometimes I wonder if you can even see the darkness in other people's hearts…_

Sora picked that moment to walk groggily into the cockpit, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Wha-? What happened?"

Vincent opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Riku saying, "You passed out from exhaustion in the middle of our battle with Vincent. He's seen the error of his ways, and Kairi trusts him enough to allow him to travel with us. If that's… alright with you…"

The raven-haired gunman looked indignantly at Riku, who merely shook his head. Vincent nodded in understanding. He could feel their reluctance to tell their friend about his momentary lapse of control. No one had been harmed, but never the less, it would not be something he would relish having to tell Sora of either… Especially given… His own circumstance…

Sora looked around the room for a moment, confused, but shrugged. "If it's okay by Kairi, then it's okay by me. Welcome aboard, Vincent! Actually, this could be really helpful, since maybe you might have some information about Sephiroth's other lackeys."

Vincent shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint, but my memories of that time are a little bit on the fuzzy side. Given that I was, well, brainwashed at the time, I suppose that's to be expected. But- I do remember one person's whereabouts very clearly. Hojo had set up a lab in Wonderland. Fitting that a madman sets up his lair in the one world where everything and everyone is insane…"

The spiky-haired teen nodded, sending brown locks falling into his eyes. "Makes sense. So we set course for Wonderland."

"Wait." Riku halted, drawing confused looks from his friends. "Before that, Vincent, I have a question."

They could all see Vincent's expression shift uncomfortably, almost as if he knew what question was coming next, and was steeling himself for it. "Ask away."

"I know your recollections from your time of servitude are a bit out of focus, but I need you to remember: did Sephiroth ever mention anything, with certainty, about a son?"

Sora and Kairi drew in a collective gasp. This would be the first word from the villain's side that they could likely trust.

"I was merely a throwaway puppet. He never brought it up in conversation when there was any conversation at all." Vincent replied, carefully avoiding looking at Riku's face.

"You're lying." Riku stated. "You might think averting your eyes won't make a difference, but it makes you look more suspicious."

"Though…" Vincent backtracked, "I remember him bringing up the possibility that he could have a son when speaking with Hojo, more to himself than to the doctor. And if indeed he had a son, I would imagine he would look very much like you. Though the possibility that he would reproduce is highly unlikely, given even his former, _sane_ self's cold disposition, and honestly, what woman in her right mind would-"

"Stop dodging the question, and answer me, damn it!" Riku shouted, standing up rapidly, aquamarine eyes fixed in a glare on Vincent's crimson irises.

Sora and Kairi stared at their friend. Riku had clearly been on edge since the incident at Radiant Garden, and this was the angriest they had ever seen him get. He must have been getting desperate for a straight answer, and now the time had come. Disturbed as they were by this outburst, they too were curious about the final answer to that question which had been bothering them all since they left.

Vincent was struck speechless for several moments. In his moment of anger, the ex-Turk swore he saw Riku's pupils contract into the cat-like slits that he had seen on a very similar furious face once before. Fixing the boy with a cold stare, he replied, "Your reaction should give you that answer. Sometimes, you have too much of your father in you. You want the truth? Fine. Sephiroth _is_ your father."

.-.-.-.

And that's it for this chapter. Reviews, as always, are appreciated. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.


	9. Justice? Or Revenge?

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over any of the characters or locations used in this fanfiction. All rights belong to their respective copyright owners.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Eight- Justice? Or Revenge?

Quistis sneered as she looked down her nose at Seifer, who was hunched over on the ground, having just been shoved there by Yazoo. Seifer had been enduring some form of torture in Hojo's lab for the past several days, and was only just now being released from the mad scientist's grip.

"What did I tell you about not doing anything stupid?" Quistis asked mockingly as Seifer struggled to stand up.

"Instructor? Do me a favor and shut up." the blond swordsman muttered acidicly before glaring at her.

Quistis narrowed her icy blue eyes at her former student. "I did warn you not to disobey orders. This is exactly why you never became a Se-"

"You don't need to remind me!" Seifer interrupted, his temper starting to surface. "I thought maybe there might be a bright side to being the scientist's plaything for a few days, maybe get an upgrade in strength or something, but it turns out Hojo's just a sadistic old ba-"

"Watch your tongue." Yazoo warned, drawing his blade threateningly. "None of us have a high opinion of him, but the walls have ears, and Sephiroth will not tolerate any internal strife. Or perhaps you haven't learned your lesson yet."

Seifer growled as he felt the razor edge of Yazoo's sword digging into the back of his neck. "You know, you're lucky Sephiroth considers you one of his brethren, or so help me, I would kill you right now."

"Is that a threat?" Yazoo asked, a vague taunting inflection to his normally emotionless voice.

"Both of you, stop acting like children." Quistis ordered, cutting through the tension. "Yazoo. Don't you and Kadaj have somewhere else to be? And Seifer, stop whining, and get back to that world you once called your home. The Keybearer has friends there, and the easiest way to lure him there is to place them in danger."

"Yeah, yeah." Seifer muttered, walking through a dark portal and vanishing.

Yazoo nodded curtly towards Quistis, then vanished into his own dark portal, presumably headed for the world where his other brother was waiting.

"Excellent work." a low voice congratulated, causing Quistis to turn back and face the source. Sephiroth stood in the doorway to what had once been a Nobody named Vexen's laboratory, smiling at the reddish-blonde haired instructor. "I am reminded why I appointed you as the commander of my forces in my absence."

"I know it is not my place to question," Quistis began, "but I do wonder when I will get my chance for revenge against Leonhart. And… I also wonder exactly what it is you're scheming here… From what I've heard in past times, after your initial failure, you sought only for revenge against the Strife boy. Is that your only goal now?"

Sephiroth eyed the woman suspiciously. "A pawn need not know the king's strategy unless it directly concerns him. A footsoldier's job is to obey, not to question."

"And you consider me such a pawn?" the former instructor queried, clearly somewhat offended.

"Of course not." Sephiroth lied, his voice now changed to silken reassurance. "The others, perhaps, but you- you are my lieutenant. And a lieutenant may indeed learn some of the general's strategies. I admit, I was, at first, obsessed with gaining revenge on Cloud. But, understand, with the way the heart of a world works, it was only by latching on to a subject I felt particularly strongly about that I could avoid dissolution. That subject- was Cloud, and my hatred of him. The sheer, utter absurdity that a mere recruit like him could best the greatest SOLDIER in existance, and the fact that he continued to block my plans again and again, even as I moved to control him- these memories, these thoughts consumed me, became my consciousness, and thus was I able to be reborn. My body was not completely destroyed, so the body you see before you is indeed my own, but I required some of Mother's cells. My memories, of course, were irreparably damaged. Until our world was consumed in darkness, at which point I fully regained myself, though by that time, I was already so obsessed with my little game of cat and mouse with Cloud that I hardly noticed it. Of course… in still having a body, I was still subject to weakness... Mortal desires… And it was that weakness which led to the existance of Riku, one of those three who are now interfering with my designs… A mistake which I plan to remedy one way or another."

He shook his head as if to clear it, and continued, "Then, after almost facing destruction at Cloud's hands once more a mere year ago, I realized that my current one-track mindset was hardly working to serve me. So, I decided to return to my original goal, and use the wider breadth of knowledge that I had gained to heighten the scale of my plan."

"And said goal was?" Quistis asked, pushing her glasses up from falling off the bridge of her nose.

"To become a god." Sephiroth answered, a distant smile appearing on his face. "No, not just a god, _the_ god of all worlds. Mother was always meant to reign supreme, and I as her son can accomplish her goals in her stead."

"So, JENOVA is the inspiration behind your plan. What of Kadaj and Yazoo? They, too, believe themselves to be guided by her. What makes you believe she will not turn brother against brother?"

At this, Sephiroth smirked, and chuckled as though vaguely amused. "Impossible. Because Kadaj and Yazoo are-"

.-.-.-.

"Insane. This world is just completely insane!" Kairi commented, looking at the nonsensical décor of Wonderland, where the ceiling was the floor and the floor was above them.

Riku shot a pointed glare at Vincent as he asked, "Why would any methodical scientist set up his laboratory in a world in such a state of flux as this?"

"Simple. Because any of his abominations running around won't be as noticeable as they would be elsewhere." Vincent replied, pushing the cabinet door open and crawling inside it, which somehow took them all to the forest area. "Look at how absolutely normal this place is. Oh, he'll really stick out like a sore thumb here."

"Hey, you don't need to get sarcastic!" Sora admonished the gunman. "So… How're we supposed to find him?"

Riku and Kairi exchanged a glance, and shrugged. "Vincent?"

Vincent shook his head. "Sorry. All I know is that he's here. I don't know where. But we will find him."

"Look!" Kairi cried out, pointing over towards a shadowy lump on the forest floor.

Riku, Sora, and Vincent followed the Princess of Heart over to where she had indicated earlier, but when the four arrived, they each had to suppress a gag. What Kairi had indicated was a creature that appeared to be a hybrid between one of the creatures native to the area, a 'bread-and-butter-fly', and a Heartless. Traces of the former creature were still visible, but it had grown to over ten times its natural size, and parts of it were blackened and deformed from the darkness staining it. Its eyes were far too large for its head now, and possessed a dull green undertone, and it shuddered violently on the ground as the group looked at it.

"Wha- what is that thing?" Sora asked, disgusted.

"Something Hojo must have gotten to." Vincent noted, his voice remaining very carefully flat. He was trying very hard not to show the obvious revulsion growing inside him.

"Hojo would do… something like this? To this… this poor, innocent creature?" Kairi asked, tears in her eyes.

"He's done worse to humans. Infants, even." Vincent answered, his jaw now clenched tightly. "I sincerely doubt he'd have any qualms about harming the local fauna."

"It's… Whatever it is now, it's clearly in pain." Riku stated, rather unnecessarily, as all of them could see how the thing trembled. It could hardly even fly anymore. "What should we do about it?"

The raven haired gunman sighed, closing his crimson eyes as he drew out Cerberus. He aimed for where the creature's moaning noises were coming from, and fired. After the sound from the gunshot echoed around the woods, the pained creature moaned no more.

Sora, Kairi and Riku looked at the smoking gun in shock. It had been the obvious, the logical course of action, but they had never expected Vincent to make use of it. The aforementioned gunman stowed his weapon, and said, "We should get moving. There's a path through this grassy wall that the creature must have come from. Given its condition, it couldn't have flown that far, so if we follow this path, we should be able to reach Hojo."

Speechless, the teenaged trio followed Vincent along the aforementioned path. As they walked, they could see hundreds of corpses, remnants of Hojo's failed experiments- and a few of the successes who likely could not stand their current existance, each more grotesque-looking than the last. The zany cheer of Wonderland had taken a much darker turn, and appeared more like a lunatic's deranged vision in an insane asylum than a bright, happy, nonsensical world.

_Such is Hojo's effect on the world._ Vincent mused. _He takes his surroundings, even normal ones, and twists and deforms them into shadows of their existances… Monstrosities…_

As they reached the final turn, around which they could see the lab complex Hojo had built, far out of sight from any possible human intruders, the group of four heard a quiet, raspy voice call out to them. They looked over on the side of the road, and found that one of those things they had written off as a corpse was actually still alive- though if its current state could be considered living was up for debate. It had once been a Neoshadow Heartless, that much was clear, but it had a veneer of flesh over it which was torn off in many places, fading into blackness. It was difficult to see amidst the darkness seeping off of it, but upon its back there was a single, broken, black-feathered wing.

"P-please…" the creature begged. "You have to help me…"

Sora and Riku were torn between pity for the thing and disgust for what it was. Kairi, on the other hand, had a vague look of recognition in her eyes.

"Loz?" she asked, dread starting to creep in.

The other two teens started at the mention of the first, and only, of Sephiroth's minions they had killed. They had seen him die. There was no way he could be alive and on this world now.

"No." Vincent answered firmly, glaring down at the creature. "Not Loz. Merely a copy. Feh. Hojo, you never could make your clones perfectly. What possessed you to think you could possibly create a clone of an imperfect copy?"

"'Clone of an… imperfect copy?'" Sora wondered, confused.

Vincent looked at the other three, slightly surprised. "Ah. That's right. You were never told what Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz really are, were you? They're… I suppose the best way to put it is that they're remnants of Sephiroth. Avatars of his will when he is unable to be there in person."

"Remnants?" Riku asked. "But Sephiroth is still alive… Why would he…"

"He needed servants he could completely control." Vincent cut the forming question off. "Even Heartless and Nobodies cannot be effectively marshalled unless one _is_ a Heartless or Nobody. So, he turned to Hojo for assitance. Hojo took three Neoshadow Heartless, and infused them with mako, a sizeable amount of JENOVA cells… and some of Sephiroth's own cells. That is why each of them bears a resemblance to Sephiroth- because they carry within them his genetic material. His cells and the JENOVA cells give them the appearance and feel of having normal, human bodies, but underneath is the Heartless which formed them. The addition of these cells allowed them to commune with humans as well. Combining at least a fragment of Sephiroth's own powers with a body that never becomes physically exhausted was a dangerous move indeed. But it seemed it was only by fortune that those three imperfect copies even worked at all. Things like this-" he gestured at the ground where the decaying Loz copy lay, groveling for mercy, "attempts at repeating the same result- all end in failure."

Following his explanation, Vincent once more took Cerberus in his hands, and before any of the teenaged trio could protest, fired once at the copy's head, causing it to vanish into the darkness from whence it came. Kairi stood there in shock for a moment before rounding on the raven-haired gunman. "Why did you do that? He wasn't going to hurt us! He wanted us to help him!"

"There is no help for a creature in that state." Vincent replied coldly, stowing his weapon. "What its intentions were is irrelevant. It still came from a Heartless, and could likely have injured us, even in its weakened state. Besides… this was the more merciful path, allowing it to die instead of forcing it to live forever as a monster…"

His voice broke on the last sentence, drawing confused stares from the teenagers of the group. There was a tense pause, and then uproarious laughter began echoing all around the clearing. The three teens drew their Keyblades and looked around wildly as Vincent's eyes narrowed.

"Hojo…" Vincent growled, drawing his gun out rapidly once again.

"_Well, well. It's nice to know time hasn't affected your mind yet, Valentine. It clearly hasn't affected you physically."_ The scientist taunted, a hologram of him appearing just before the front door. He laughed once more, and continued onward. _"Sorry to disappoint you, but you came out all this way for nothing. I've already left here, and am back on The World That Never Was. Come and find me, if you want your revenge."_

"Quit with the head games, Hojo. You and I both know you wouldn't leave all this evidence of your experiments behind if you had truly left. Especially not your failures." Vincent shot back, gun levelled at the control panel holding the door to the laboratory building shut. "You won't be able to escape this time. I'm coming for you."

And with that, Cerberus flashed as the bullets hit the control panel, forcing the doors open. Hojo's hologram crackled with static for a moment before fizzling out entirely, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi followed Vincent as he led them swiftly through the labyrinthine halls towards Hojo's main experimental facility. As they ran, they looked around them with a mixture of disgust and awe at the various experiments and equipment that the mad scientist had on hand. They finally entered the main laboratory, where Hojo stood hunched over the computer. He turned around to face the group of four, and smirked, waxy skin stretching to accommodate the expression like a garish doll. Vincent advanced for the scientist, and the teenaged trio tried to follow him, only to find a blue force field activated in front of them, keeping them from interfering with what was going on in front of them. Horrified, they watched as Vincent kept advancing slowly for Hojo, his gun levelled with the man's head.

There was a tense moment, and Vincent slowly stowed Cerberus away. Hojo smirked victoriously, only for his face to fall into worry mere moments later as Vincent began to speak.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this…" Vincent began, a red aura starting to form around him. "I didn't want to reveal what I was in front of these children, but against you? You. Deserve. Hell."

And then he began to transform. The three friends were stunned into silence as they witnessed their ally's body begin to alter dramatically towards a more feral creature. Though Vincent was not crying out in utter agony, the change looked quite painful, and with good reason- bones were shifting, changing position, and breaking the skin, forming appendages which, on a normal human body, simply should not be there. A few moments of sickening grinding, crunching and squishing later, the change was complete, and Vincent stood there before them, completely unrecognizable. He had changed into a demonic creature with red horns and wings, whose skin was a metallic grey, and whose eyes burned yellow in the room's dim lighting.

"Vincent..?" Kairi asked hesitantly.

"No." the demon standing in Vincent's place answered, in a voice that was clearly the gunman's, but was distorted by a much more feral growl. "Chaos."

Seeing the turn of events, Hojo began laughing once more, even harder than he had previously. "So, Valentine, you think you can use these forms I infused you with to end my life? What complete and utter foolishness. You don't have the guts to fight me as I am now."

Chaos charged for Hojo so fast he became a red blur, coming up behind the scientist, and grabbing his arm, twisting it up at a very painful-looking angle. "My host might not, normally. But as for myself? I have absolutely no problem with tearing you limb from limb. And fueled by his anger as I am, in this instant, I don't think he will object to my actions at all."

Sora and Kairi winced as they heard the sickening snap of bones being broken and Hojo gasping in pain. The next sight they could clearly see was Hojo being violently thrown against the metal wall, his head banging loudly against it. Chaos ghosted over to the fallen scientist, and slashed its claws viciously across the man's face, coating them with his blood. Then, grabbing the man by the throat, he slammed him against one of his lab tables, smashing beakers and getting goodness only knows what kinds of chemicals in the wounds he had already inflicted.

"What's wrong?" Chaos mocked, smirking at the broken body of the scientist. "No injections, no tricks this time? You're not going to fight back?"

"Guys, we have to stop him!" Kairi shouted, turning back to her friends, finally getting up the nerve to speak. "He'll kill him if we don't!"

"So?" Riku asked coldly, earning shocked and angry stares from his friends. "From what I've seen and heard of him, this is a fate he richly deserves. So let. Him. Die."

"How can you be so callous?" the Princess of Heart raged, punching the silver-haired teen in the chest. Realizing Riku was a hopeless cause at this point, she turned to her other option. "Sora?"

Sora squirmed uncomfortably in his spot. "I know we need to stop him, but it's not like we weren't gonna kill Hojo anyway… But… we were going to kill him because we had to. This is out of revenge. And a revenge killing is worse."

Riku had to fight to keep himself from scoffing at Sora's words. _You didn't seem to mind a revenge killing when it looked like Kairi was dead…_ The hypocrisy was really starting to bug him. _Wait a minute… 'Hypocrisy'? Hold it right there. I didn't tell him about Halloween Town, so he can't possibly know about it, so why am I thinking stuff like this?_ The boy shook his head, and looked back with the others on the action unfolding before them.

Chaos appeared poised for the kill when Hojo used some of his remaining strength to inject a syringe of an unknown chemical into the demon's neck. It drew back, shrieking, and mere moments of transformation later, Vincent stood in his usual form. He ripped the syringe out of his neck, and stepped rapidly over to Hojo, who was trying to escape, he held the man's throat in his gauntleted hand, and began to squeeze.

Even as he felt the gunman's grasp slowly crushing in on his windpipe, Hojo laughed, a gasping, wheezing laugh. "You… never learn, do you? In trying to end me here, you're only… furthering my research! I gave you that injection to tempo-(gasp)rarily suppress Chaos for a… reason, you know. " He gasped for breath, and continued onward. "Hypothesis: After many years… of having been altered to a less-than-human form… with the… psychological damage caused by… the inhabitance of four mutations… humanity in subject... (gasp) Vincent Valentine will decrease to the point of nonexistance. You've… become a monster, Valentine… Even as your supposedly human self, you're a beast, and now… now you're pro…ving… it right in front of these… three… children…"

Vincent's bloodred irises fixed upon the mad scientist in a glare as he shot back, "If I am a monster… it's only because you have made me so!"

And his grip tightened, his mind screaming at him not to loosen it until he heard an ever-satisfying 'crack'. But as the scientist began to fall limp in his grip, he heard a duo of higher voices calling out, "Vincent, don't!"

He released his grip on Hojo's throat, slamming him down on the floor. He rounded on the trio still bound behind the force field as he shouted, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear this slimy snake's head off right now!"

"Because it's what he wants!" Kairi insisted. "You heard him. If you kill him, you're only playing along with his research, and you'll become what he wants you to become."

"And you three weren't going to kill him?" Vincent asked, a note of irony slipping in.

"Well… yeah…" Sora admitted reluctantly. "But we would've done it out out duty, not out of revenge! If you kill him like this, you'll be no better than the monster he sees you as."

The gunman prepared to make another rebuttal, but his answer died in his throat as he heard the tell-tale sound of a dark portal closing behind him. He turned back, and Hojo had escaped. His knees went weak, and he crumpled on the floor. His final change at revenge… at avenging Lucrecia… gone forever…

_For a moment…_ he thought to himself as the trio tried to find a way to disable the force field separating them from their ally, _I almost considered killing Hojo anyway, and then… killing them for standing in my way… I suppose I truly am just as Hojo… and Sora… said… a monster… Lucrecia… I'm so… so sorry…_

.-.-.-.

Hojo limped along the hallways of The Castle That Never Was towards Vexen's old laboratory. There, he could find the technology to help heal his injuries. His lab in Wonderland would have had it on hand, but with Valentine likely still there, brooding, it would be unwise to return. So, massaging his throat with his unbroken arm, and limping on one usable leg, he entered Vexen's lab, and started searching for his stash of Potions.

"So, I see the attempt to assassinate the traitor, Valentine, has failed." a higher, more child-like voice noted from the doorway.

"It was never my intention to kill him." Hojo answered. "Not that a violent, imperfect cretin like you would understand the subtleties of my plans… Kadaj."

Kadaj smirked, and walked over to the broken scientist. "Mother will not be pleased with your failure."

Hojo laughed maniacally at Kadaj's word choice. "'Mother'? You truly believe it is your 'Mother' that guides you in this? You are unworthy to be manipulated by JENOVA herself You're just a puppet who can't see his own strings. Strings bound to a creature that has no relation whatsoever to him."

The mad scientist suddenly found his gloating rant cut off by Kadaj's blade, Souba, penetrating straight through his torso. The remnant which bore Sephiroth's utter madness narrowed his catlike eyes at the dying scientist, muttering coldly, "You are the unworthy one. Your lips are never going to besmirch Mother's name again."

And with that, Kadaj pulled out his blade, leaving Hojo bleeding out on the floor, clearly dead, as he left via dark portal for the cathedral where his brother awaited him.

.-.-.-.

As always, reviews are appreciated. Flames? Not so much.


	10. Topsy Turvy

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, or Disney characters, locations, etc. And yes, I am using movie dialogue with few changes. Sorry. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright owners.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Nine- Topsy Turvy

Riku's halfway decent knowledge of computers came in handy once the trio had deactivated the force field holding them back, as Hojo's computer contained a veritable mine of information. Though most of it was concerning things Vincent had already told them about Kadaj and Yazoo, the most interesting thing they found was a program that tracked their coordinates, which indicated they were both on the same world. Riku memorized the coordinates, and punched them into the Gummi Ship's navigational system, letting the autopilot fly, for once, instead of Sora doing the flying. Oddly enough, they weren't running into any Heartless or Nobody ships as they approached the world, but then again, said world was fairly backwater. After a few minutes, they were hovering above said world, just out of gravity's influence.

The defining feature of this particular world was a massive, beautiful cathedral which towered above all of the other buildings. Sora exchanged a nervous glance with the others before noting, "Guys, I haven't been here before."

"Neither have I…" Riku added, staring at the surroundings.

"Nor have I, but I have a bad feeling about this place." Vincent stated calmly. "This world is a fair distance away from any of the worlds you've likely visited, and looks very much like the kind of place where anything odd would get treated as witchcraft. We shouldn't use our powers if we can avoid it…"

"But Kadaj and Yazoo are down there, so we're going." Sora answered in a way that made it clear that was the end of the matter.

As they prepared to land the ship in a narrow, shady alleyway, Vincent rolled is eyes, and murmured ironically, "What could _possibly_ go wrong?"

As they stepped out into the street, they could feel their clothes altering. Kairi's hair got tied back by a blue bandana, and her outfit altered into a long, deep blue skirt with dirty, off-white corset-top short, which was accented with a black sash. A necklace with a talisman appeared around her neck, and her skin darkened somewhat to a pleasant tanned tone, as if she had been sunbathing back on the islands. Sora had on what could only be described as a jester's outfit in garish combinations of red, orange, white and green, and a poofy hat with bells hid his spiky brown locks. Vincent was wearing a burgundy and gold tunic, paired with white hose and black, polished-looking shoes. He looked much more high-class than the rest of them, though his skin remained stubbornly pale as his eyes mellowed slightly from bloodred to reddish-brown. Riku, of all of them, looked the most like a peasant and was dressed the most normally with a plain, dirty off-white tunic bound below the waistline by a length of cord and plain brown hose and shoes. His skin, like Kairi's, darkened slightly to look more tanned, and his eyes remained the same aquamarine shade they always were- and unfortunately, his silver hair also maintained its hue.

Upon looking on his silver locks, and realizing they had not changed colors, Riku swore under his breath, earning an admonishing look from Kairi. Vincent walked out of the alley, and returned mere moments later with a bandana and some ink. "These might help out slightly."

Riku nodded, forgoing the bandana in favor of dying his hair with black ink. "This will be less likely to get torn off or otherwise damaged, and will do a more complete job of hiding my hair color…"

Riku moved quickly and quietly, working the ink into his hair as thoroughly as he could in the time allowed. Their lingering in an alley would not likely go unnoticed for long. When he thought he had covered his hair as much as he could, he looked towards the others. "Do I have a salt-and-pepper thing going on over here?"

Sora shook his head, almost speechless at the difference that simple change had made in the older boy's appearance. "Nope. You're good. I almost wouldn't recognize it was even you, so I think you're okay."

The boy's hair was now almost as raven black as Vincent's own locks, but there was still a problem left- the ink on his hands. He rubbed it hastily on the already-dirty tunic, and said, "Worst comes to worst and someone asks, I can always claim to be a scribe's apprentice or something."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Good thinking. Well, let's see what's going on in this new world! I'm excited!"

"Understandably, but remember, _children_," Vincent stated, a slight patronizing tone coming into his voice, "we can't afford to stick out here. We need to try to blend in."

And with that, they stepped out of the alleyway towards the town square.

.-.-.-.

Across town, as of yet unaware of the new arrivals, Judge Claude Frollo stood, overseeing the whipping of his former captain of the guards, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new captain so that the cleansing of the streets from those pitiful gypsies could finally begin. Seeing the captain silhouetted in the doorway, firelight glinting off of his golden armor and locks, Frollo smirked. "Ah, so _this_ is the gallant captain Phoebus, home from the wars."

"Reporting for duty, as ordered, sir." Phoebus answered respectfully. Frollo's reputation preceeded him, and he was not ready to get on the man's bad side.

"Your service record preceeds you, Phoebus. I expect nothing more than the _best_ from a war hero of your caliber."

"And you shall have it sir. I guarantee it."

"You know," Frollo began, apparently changing the subject, "My last captain of the guard was, erm, a bit of a _disappointment_ to me."

Phoebus barely avoided wincing as he hearda tortured scream from the room nearest them and a whip crack. Frollo smirked at the sound, and continued, "Well, no matter. I'm sure you'll _whip_ my men into shape?"

"Th- thank you sir, it's a gr- er- tr- tremendous honor." the captain answered, at a loss for words.

"You've come to Paris in her darkest hour, Captain. It will take a firm hand to stop the weak-minded from being so easily misled. Look, Captain. Gypsies." the judge sneered, gesturing down to the streets where the beautiful dancer, Esmeralda, whom Phoebus had encountered earlier, was dancing, surrounded by a band of gypsies. "The gypsies live outside the normal order. Their heathen ways inflame the people's lowest instincts, and they _must. Be. Stopped._"

"I was summoned from the _wars_ to capture _fortune tellers_ and _palm readers_?" Phoebus queried, more than slightly incredulous at the seemingly pointless task being assigned to him as a matter of dire importance.

"The real war, Captain, is what you see before you. For twenty years, I have been- _taking care_ of the gypsies one. By. One." Frollo stated calmly, smushing the ants crawling along the stone with his fingers for emphasis. "And yet, for all my success," he lifted the stone, revealing a veritable nest of insects, "they have thrived. I believe they have a haven- a nest, it you will, within the walls of this very city. They call it the 'Court of Miracles'."

"What are we going to do about it, sir?" Phoebus wondered.

Frollo smirked for a moment, then slammed the block down on the ant colony.

"You make your point quite vividly, sir."

"You know, I like you, Captain. Shall we?" Frollo asked, gesturing for Phoebus to follow. Then, a swell of fanfare rose from the center of the town, and he groaned and rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Duty calls. Have you ever attended a peasant festival?"

"Not recently, sir." Phoebus admitted.

"Then this should be quite an education for you. Come along."

.-.-.-.

After reaching the center of the town, the group of four were in shock and awe at the bright, vibrant colors flying around them. Clearly, they had arrived in the middle of a large festival. Sora and Kairi were entranced by the fire breathers and other various acts going on during the 'Festival of Fools', as it was apparently called. It took Vincent and Riku several minutes of poking, prodding, pushing and shoving Sora and Kairi along for them to get up close to the stage that had been set up, just in time to see another jester-like figure start making a big announcement.

"Come one, come all! Let's see the finest girl in France make an entrance to entrance! Dance La Esmeralda dance!" he shouted before vanishing in a puff of smoke, replaced by a ravishing, dark-skinned, dark-haired beauty in a rather revealing red dress.

"Wow… she's really pretty…" was the first thing Sora had the presence of mind to say, sounding very clearly zoned out to a most likely perverted location.

"... Yeah, she is…" Riku agreed, his voice catching slightly in his throat as Esmeralda, the dancer on stage, pulled out a purple star-and-moon covered scarf from around her waist, and leaped lithely for Frollo, planting a coquettish kiss on his nose before pulling his hat down over his face.

Kairi rolled her eyes, and slapped her hand against her foreheads. She waved her hands in front of the two boy's eyes, saying, "Umm, yoo-hoo! Mission? Finding Kadaj and Yazoo before they cause trouble here? Hel-loo!"

And her words were lost in the crowd's cheering and hooting for more. She turned to Vincent, only to find the raven haired gunman trying very determinedly _not_ to look at the stage, where Esmeralda was now executing some kind of improvised pole dance using one of the guard's lances.

"Oh, _Vincent_, not _you_ too!" Kairi groaned, seeing his actions.

"She is very beautiful." Vincent admitted, struggling to keep his eyes on Kairi and his mind focused on the task at hand. Not an easy task, given how long he had been without any close contact with a woman. "But-" he summoned up all his willpower, and kept his eyes locked on Kairi's as he continued, "I've only ever… really… had eyes for one woman."

And Kairi nodded her satisfaction is unison with Esmeralda's final nod to the crowd. The gypsy woman was then showered with coins as the crowd roared for more. The jester continued announcing, and a group of about thirteen masked men were pulled onto the stage by various people aiding in the main stage show.

"… So, make a face that's horrible and frightening, as gruesome as a gargoyle's wing, because the face that's _ugliest_ will be the King of Fools!" the jester announced, and Vincent felt his stomach drop several inches. Suddenly, he had started getting a really, really bad feeling about remaining where they were. Especially since that last man's mask… looked way, _way_ too realistic to be a mask…

Sora and Riku booed along with the crowd as the peasants pulled up made silly face after silly face at them. Kairi had initially ignored the spectacle, but seeing Vincent's normally implacable face marred by a concerned expression, she, too, looked at the last figure, a man whose mask had a highly prominent brow, to the point of looking like a tumor over one of his eyes. He had a short mop of red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes, but his most prominent feature was his masively hunched-over back. Suddenly, she got a twinge of dread that this man likely wasn't wearing a mask.

Indeed, he wasn't wearing a mask- it was his face. And the man was the bellringer of Notre Dame cathedral, Quasimodo. Clopin, as Riku surmised the jester was called from the murmurs in the crowd, after a moment's confusion, proceeded to crown the hunchback King of Fools, placing the crown over his head, a staff in his arms, and a royal robe over his shoulders. Quasimodo looked happy to the point of tears to see, for once, everyone cheering for him, and Riku convinced Kairi to join in with the crowd's cheering as confetti flew everywhere.

Vincent, however, wasn't buying it, and he looked over to find, as he suspected, one of the guards shining a tomato to be thrown at the newly crowned King of Fools. The tomato smashed into Quasimodo's head, leaving a rotten red trail on his face. That was all it took- one person thinking they'd be amusing, and the mob mentality took over. Soon, the poor hunchback was getting pelted over and over with various vegetables and eggs. He held the others back from charging the platform because they couldn't interfere with the world's events. It was way too risky. They'd be drawing enough attention to themselves once they found Kadaj and Yazoo and fought them, so they couldn't afford to interfere any more. However, mere moments later, the need to interfere was no longer present, as it seemed Esmeralda was approaching the hunchback, looking pityingly on him.

"Don't be afraid." she assured him. She reached down to wipe the man's face, and he winced. "I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen."

The judge, Minister Frollo, incensed at this turn of events, shouted, "You! Gypsy girl! Get down at once!"

"Yes, Your Honor. Just as soon as I free this poor creature!" Esmeralda shouted back.

"I forbid it!"

Kairi was gasping along with the crowd, but mentally doing a cheering motion as Esmeralda cut the ropes binding the man to the platform where he had been humiliated.

"How _dare_ you defy me?" Frollo asked, his voice a dangerous growl.

"You mistreat this poor boy the _same_ way you mistreat my people! You speak of 'justice', yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help!"

"Silence!"

"JUSTICE!"

Sora and Riku's eyes widened. This girl had a lot of strength of character. They would be up there with her, but stupid Vincent had to keep them from interfering. Sora was more miffed about Vincent's actions than Riku, but then again, Riku could understand the necessity for them. And mere moments later, as the crowd was sent into an uproar by Esmeralda's theatrical fleeing of the guards, the group of four caught a glimpse of two silver-haired figures. They pursued them far out of sight from those in the town square, and finally trapped them in an alleyway close to where the Gummi Ship was. Believing themselves to be out of danger, Sora and Riku drew Oblivion and Way to the Dawn, Kairi drawing her weapon. The looked around, expecting to hear Vincent's gun cocking as he drew it, but a cursory glance told the teenaged trio that they had lost him somewhere in the crowd.

"Sora…" Riku muttered warningly, realizing they were missing a person.

"It's okay, Riku. We don't need him. We've got this!" Sora assured before charging for Yazoo, his strike blocked by a blade similar to Seifer's and Squall's.

Riku shuddered nervously, and leapt for Kadaj, followed swiftly by Kairi. The silver-haired duo were better fighters than Loz had been, clearly something they inherited from Sephiroth. They were fast- fast, and excellent sowrdsmen, though the teenaged trio managed to score a few rapidly-healing wounds on them in their lightning-fast battle. Sora and Kairi charged up a tag-team Thundara spell on the pair, and succeeded in their strike, only to see the duo changing before their very eyes into two of Frollo's lieutenant's- a heavyset man and a tall man with a moustache. They lay groaning on the ground, calling out for help, and before any of them could think to put their Keyblades away, they heard a swift 'clip-clop' of Judge Claude Frollo's horse's hoofs arriving just outside the alleyway.

"And what sort of witchcraft do we have here?" he queried as the 'lieutenants' struggled to their feet.

"These three gypsy heathen attacked us when we had our backs turned." Yazoo, disguised as the heavyset lieutenant insisted.

"They used some sort of odd weapon that they summoned in their hands, and the next thing we're aware of, they're calling down fire on us." the other lieutenant, Kadaj in disguise, added.

"Well. The gypsy witch escapes from my grasp, but I find three demons in her place." Frollo stated, a twisted smile crawling across his face. "Lock the three of them up. But first, take this one with the strange hair," he indicated Riku, "to the torture chamber. I have some questions for him."

Riku started at the man's words, and then, for the first time since their battle against the two silver-haired henchmen began, felt the rain which had begun to fall pelting his face. "The dye washed off, didn't it?"

Though the question was directed to no one in particular, Sora and Kairi nodded before all of their arms were slapped in chains, and they were lead towards their likely doom.

.-.-.-.

When Vincent had been searching for the teenaged trio for over an hour in the pouring down rain, he was more than slightly worried that he had not yet encountered them. There were only so many places they could have gone… _I hope they didn't get themselves into some sort of trouble…_

Finally, tired of being pelted by raindrops, he looked up at the one place he had neglected to check: the cathedral. Now, he wasn't much of a religious man, but somehow the thought of entering a church building with literal demons sharing body space with him had him more than slightly concerned. Aerith's church in the slums had never been a problem, but then again, it was broken down. This structure was large, imposing, and Vincent felt the burden of his sins weigh ever more heavily on his heart as he hesitantly opened the door and stepped inside. When he wasn't met by a lightning bolt from the heavens, or a burning sensation in his entire being, he walked fully inside the building, shutting the door behind him.

On the outside, Notre Dame cathedral had been imposing, worrying, but on the inside, he honestly found it quite… peaceful. The soft candlelight, the distant Gregorian chants echoing, clouds of incense rising, and beautiful architecture would have made him stop and stare for several minutes if he hadn't reminded himself with a violent shake of the head that he needed to find out where Sora, Riku, and Kairi were if they had, indeed, been caught using their powers. The bells, he reasoned, were likely very high up, and Quasimodo had seemed quite out of his element that day, so he likely resided in the tower as well. While searching, he had heard rumors that Frollo had taken him in as a child and raised him away from the 'cruel and wicked' eyes of the world, and after today's events, he wouldn't be surprised if said rumors were true. So, casting a glance behind him to see if he was pursued, he walked up the stairs to what was presumably Quasimodo's room. When he arrived there, he found it deserted, but for the gargoyles, a scale-model of the city, and colored-glass mobiles which reflected the swiftly-setting sun's light throughout the chamber.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" a voice behind him challenged, and Vincent turned around to find himself face to face with the bellringer of Notre Dame.

"Relax. I'm not a soldier here after Esmeralda, if that's what you're worried about." the raven-haired man assured. "My name is Vincent, and… I need your help."

Quasimodo shook his head vigorously. "If it's something I need to leave the cathedral for, then forget it. You saw what happened today. I can't disobey my master again."

Vincent nodded in understanding. "Fine. If you won't leave, at least tell me this: in the confusion after Esmeralda's escape of the guards, three of my friends were wrongfully arrested for witchcraft. Two of them were gypsies, one of them was a peasant, a scribe's apprentice, who was captured along with them. Guilt by association, you know… Believe me when I tell you that they are innocent, and would never harm anyone in good conscience. Where is Frollo holding them?"

"In all likelihood, at the Palace of Justice…" Quasimodo answered hesitantly. "But you didn't hear that from me… I can't afford to get in any more trouble."

"I understand." Vincent replied, starting to exit. "Oh. And next time you see her, let Esmeralda know how you feel, if it's at all possible… I once lost the opportunity to tell the woman I loved how I felt… and it has haunted me for years since."

And on that note, Vincent left the bellringer to muse about the possible love he had for Esmeralda as he himself started thinking of a way to break his friends out of the prison where they likely faced punishment beyond anything they had ever experienced before…

.-.-.-.

Reviews are appreciated, flames are not, and this world will be continued next chapter.


	11. Sanctuary!

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over any characters, locations, quotations, etcetera from Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Disney. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright owners.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Ten- Sanctuary

Riku had no idea how long he had been in the torture chamber at the Palace of Justice- only that he despised being held utterly helpless as a sadistic warden continued lashing a cat-of-nine-tails at him at random intervals, waiting for him to crack, to reveal that he was a servant of the devil. And at this point, he was almost willing to tell that lie if it meant the pain would stop. The pain was all that kept him conscious when loss of blood really should have already killed him. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, his throat raw from the screams that had escaped him earlier. Vaguely he saw the whip rise again, and cried out as it laid nine new lines into his back. He'd be lucky if he ever recovered from this at all, much less without scars. Though… as long as he was in here, refusing to crack, to break, Sora and Kairi were merely locked up in the dungeon, relatively safe from harm, and that was reason enough for him to remain. He heard one last crack of the whip before the pain finally spiralled into the black abyss of unconsciousness.

As he saw the warden's whip lay into Riku's back, flaying his skin, Sephiroth felt an irrational burst of anger in his heart, quickly muttering the spell to call down weakness, unconsciousness on the torturer. "Descend, Heartless Angel."

The last thing the whip-wielding man heard was an eerie, pseudo-angelic choir on a rapidly descending chord before he surrendered to unconsciousness and collapsed on the floor. Mere seconds after the fact, Sephiroth cursed under his breath as he realized that, in so doing, if another person came in to investigate the lack of screaming, it would make Riku look even worse than he already did in the eyes of what passed for the law on this backwards world, and would likely call down execution.

_But then again…_ Sephiroth considered, _it would solve the problem- fix the mistake I had made years as he is, I could kill the boy __**myself **__right now, and it would almost be merciful… So… why is it that I stay my hand..?_

He searched the warden's pockets for a moment before finding the keys to the handcuffs holding Riku against the wall in a position that was, ironically enough, akin to a person who was being crucified. Sephiroth hastily unlocked the cuffs, catching the boy's body before he slumped fully to the floor. He set the child, his child, down on the ground. Riku appeared to be asleep for the moment, but otherwise relatively unharmed. The wounds from the whip on his back were fairly severe, but nothing that a Cure spell or potion wouldn't be able to remedy. As he looked down on the sleeping teen who was practically his mirror image at that age, Sephiroth thought, _Perhaps… even though this boy's very existance was a mistake, even I cannot bear to end my only true living legacy… Deep down, I don't want to be forced to end him… I've killed countless innocents in the past, but somehow the thought of ending my own flesh and blood is... Were he to prove a traitor to me, I would hold no mercy in my heart, but until that time, I cannot and will not kill him…_

He brushed his hand softly against his sleeping son's face, but then, seeing him starting to awake, teleported away, leaving some of the black plumage from his wing behind.

Feeling something brush against his face, Riku opened his eyes and groggily looked around. His back was still in searing pain, but he had been let down from the wall, and the one who had been torturing him lay unconscious on the ground. His eyes fell on a black feather on the floor, and he started fully awake, looking around for the source of it. After a moment's searching, it became clear that Sephiroth was no longer present, and Riku felt confusion starting to set in. He had a feeling Sephiroth had never intended to have him, that he was the result of an error in judgement, so why, then, was he not killed while he was unconscious? It would simplify things, for sure.

"Fa… ther?" he asked hesitantly, gazing around the torture chamber once more. Moonlight and torchlight were glinting off of dangerous-looking metallic instruments that he would rather not be on the receiving end of, but there was no sign of the silver-haired man anywhere. The door creaked slowly open, and Riku gasped, realizing how bad it would look for him if another of Frollo's men came in and saw the warden unconscious and him freed, but to his infinite relief, he found a familiar raven-haired man tailed by two other teenagers entering the room. "Vincent! Sora! Kairi!"

"Riku… oh my… what did they _do_ to you?" Kairi asked softly, noticing the marks on his still bare back.

Riku looked hastily around for his plain tunic top, throwing it over himself, face beet red from the embarassment of being seen half-naked by the girl of the trio, and winced as the coarse fabric rubbed against the still-open wounds. Vincent tossed a Cure Potion at him, and Riku downed it gratefully, feeling the gashes flaying his skin seal, leaving a few scars behind them, though the pain was no longer present. "Several hours with a sadistic whip-user will do this to you. Vincent, how did you know where we were?"

"Quasimodo told me where you were likely to be. He refused to leave the cathedral, but he told me where you probably were." Vincent answered simply. "I figured something had gone wrong when I couldn't find you three after the crowd from the Festival dispersed, so I claimed that you had been wrongfully accused of witchcraft, and you know the rest. Sora and Kairi told me you had been taken down below to this room, but how in the world were you able to escape being handcuffed to the wall? And what happened to the guard?"

"Hey, what's that?" Sora asked, seeing the feather Riku was still clutching in his hand.

Riku hastily stowed the feather in his pocket. "Nothing. I… I don't know how exactly I got free… I lost consciousness from loss of blood, and when I next wake up, I'm free and the guard's out cold… I must have a guardian angel or something."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow at Riku's choice of words, but questioned it no further. If Sephiroth had indeed shown a rare moment of humanity and helped his son, Riku was likely confused enough already without any warnings from him or the others.

"Well, now what?" Kairi asked, exasperation coming into her voice. "Now that we're all officially wanted criminals, how are we going to find Kadaj and Yazoo and finish our fight with them?"

"They'll probably come to us. Sephiroth wants us dead so we can't stop his twisted plans, whatever they are." Sora stated logically. "We just need to find a safe place to hide, a sanctuary or something…"

"Sanctuary…" Vincent murmured to himself. "Sora, that may be the brightest idea you've come up with. We'll be safe inside Notre Dame cathedral as long as we can declare sanctuary…"

"I don't know…" Riku muttered doubtfully. "Frollo doesn't seem likely to care about that…"

"Then maybe Quasimodo can find somewhere to hide us." Kairi suggested.

Vincent nodded. "All right. Follow me, and _stay close_, you three. I can keep us out of sight, but you need to do exactly as I do."

And with that, the group of four snuck out of the Palace of Justice, and began creeping like bandits for the Notre Dame cathedral.

.-.-.-.

"Your arrogance never ceases to amaze, Kadaj." Sephiroth stated coolly, lifting the faceless guard outside one of the cathedral doors effortlessly off of the ground, causing him to revert back to the silver-haired remnant he truly was. "To think you could hide from me so easily. I know your every move. Your little stunt today almost killed my son, do you realize that?"

"It was… technically Yazoo that got him locked up… He manipulated one of the other guards into telling Frollo of the commotion before we even fought the Keyblade Master and your oh-so-beloved son." Kadaj choked out, feeling Sephiroth's leather-bound fingers pressing in on his throat.

"I don't care whose idea it was." the former general hissed. "I came to warn you that there are to be no repeat performances of your little masquerade. If I ever see Riku in that sort of condition again as a result of you or your brother's actions, avatars or no, so help me, I shall kill you both where you stand."

"Have you lost sight of the true objective? Returning Mother to her full glory?" Kadaj challenged the older man, glaring directly into the catlike eyes which mirrored his own. "Why is it you care so much about this accident you caused? Why do you not wish it rectified?"

"I have my own plans for the boy." Sephiroth answered curtly, tightening his grip. "And as to Mother's reunification and revival, it is almost complete. In a short while, she will awaken, and merge with Kingdom Hearts, from which spawns the hearts of all worlds, and this realm will be in our hands at last. All you need to focus on is eliminating the Keyblade master and Radiant Garden's Princess of Heart. Get rid of them, and the rest will fall into place. You will pass this message on to Yazoo, and if either of you so much as _think_ about disobeying my orders, you both know what punishment awaits you."

And with that, he vanished in a puff of midnight plumage. Kadaj took once more his disguise of faceless guard, and soon found the hidden form of his brother, Yazoo, standing next to him.

"What did Brother want?" Yazoo asked listlessly.

"To warn us not to lay a hand on his progeny." Kadaj answered bitterly. "Sora and Kairi he doesn't care what we do, but he warned us that Riku was not to be harmed."

"What of the traitor, Valentine?"

Kadaj laughed. "He didn't say anything in regards to him. Presumably, whatever punishment we deem fit is good enough for him."

Yazoo smirked. "In these forms, we have access to the full power the law of this world holds, so that could be quite creative… These backwards people have quite a way with torture…"

And the duo chuckled to themselves in almost perfect synchronicity, their soft laughter echoing quietly into the night.

.-.-.-.

When Vincent took the three teenagers up to Quasimodo's living quarters with him to ask for a place to hide, he hadn't expected to run into Esmeralda, who was trying to hide a grievously wounded Captain Phoebus with him. Quasimodo looked over at the group of four, and gestured for them to follow him over to where Esmeralda was currently stitching together the pierced skin near Phoebus's heart. They were talking so quietly, it was difficult to hear them, but within a moment, the pair's lips met. Kairi's expression spoke of a sigh swept up in romance as she looked, starry eyed, at the kissing couple. Sora held Kairi's hand in his own, leaning up against her, a similarly goofy expression on his face. Riku, too, was initially caught up in the romance of the moment, but soon looked over at Quasimodo to find him looking absolutely stricken- wounded to the point of tears. It was clear now that the hunchback had loved the gypsy girl, but now she loved another. Riku looked over at their fourth companion, who stared, clearly somewhat pained, at the scene before them before murmuring an 'excuse me', and walking towards the hallway. Riku decided to follow Vincent out to the hallway, and saw him slumped against the wall. He sat down next to him, and said, "So… you too, huh?"

Vincent nodded. "I was in love with the woman I guarded as a Turk, a beautiful scientist named Lucrecia… She seemed to harbor some affection for me as well, but then it all went downhill, and she ran away from me for Hojo. I stood aside, I let her go, it wasn't my business who she was involved with, really… But it hurt every time I saw them together…"

"And you couldn't stand seeing Quasi in that same position, huh?" Riku confirmed, receiving a nod as a response. "It's not any easier for me, being surrounded by that situation… I always acted like I was joking when I told Sora I'd had a crush on Kairi, but I wasn't… After becoming so dark I knew she wouldn't have me, I stood aside, and let Sora have her, but… It never exactly got any easier seeing them together, and they just keep getting closer and closer now…"

Vincent gave the silver-haired teen a pitying look, only for Riku to roll his eyes and shrug.

"Eh, well…" Riku muttered, half to himself, "you win some, you lose some, and at least Kairi's happy with him… and safe… I take it that didn't exactly happen with Lucrecia?"

Vincent shook his head. "No. She kept insisting she was happy, but I could see her suffering as she carried her son, Hojo's first in-vitro attempt with the JENOVA project, and gave birth to… well… gave birth to your father, Riku… Because I didn't speak up until it was too late, your father was ripped from his true mother's womb, never allowed in his birth mother's arms, and became the monster he is today…"

Riku laughed wryly. "As much as I want to hit you for letting every bad thing Sephiroth's ever done happen, at the same time, I guess I need to thank you, because without that, I wouldn't be here right now, now would I? And now we're allies… Man… these worlds work in strange ways…"

"Indeed." Vincent replied, a faint smile appearing on his face.

There was an awkward silence, and then the two rejected suitors stood in unison, nodded towards each other as if solidifying a silent vow of silence, and entered the room once more, hiding behind some of the statuary where Sora and Kairi awaited them. Quasimodo appeared before the group of four quickly afterwards, and said, "Frollo's coming. You have to get out of here. Quickly. Follow Esmeralda down the South Tower steps."

"Thank you for your assitance earlier." Vincent thanked graciously, earning a nod from Quasimodo before leading the group of four quietly down the aforementioned steps. They couldn't move too quickly, as their footfalls would have alerted Frollo's men, so it took them several moments to reach even the lowest level of the cathedral. By the time they arrived at the front doors, they found Quasimodo arguing with Phoebus about reaching a place called the Court of Miracles, which Frollo planned to attack at dawn the next day with one thousand men.

"What should we do?" Sora asked the others, hearing the issue.

"Isn't it obvious? We help them!" Kairi insisted in a fierce whisper.

"How?" Riku asked. "How are we supposed to help those two organize a full-scale evacuation of the only gypsy save haven in this area?"

"I… I dunno…" the princess answered honestly. "But we have to try."

"The obvious first step would be to follow them…" Vincent pointed out, gesturing towards the receding torchlight which marked Quasimodo and Phoebus's steps.

"You there! Gypsies!" a commanding voice shouted.

The group of four turned around to find Frollo and his men standing close behind them.

"Uh-oh…" Sora muttered.

"_Run_." Vincent commanded, his voice barely even a whisper. None of the group needed telling twice.

So they ran. They ran, following the vague torchlight as their only guiding light, into a graveyard, into the catacombs, and arriving at the Court of Miracles just in time to hear Phoebus warning the masses about Frollo's imminent attack. Vincent sighed along with the others. Phoebus and Quasimodo had managed to warn them in time. But then, as he looked back towards the catacombs, he saw Frollo and his men waiting silently outside the main area, and his eyes grew wide.

"No…" he whispered. "We… we shouldn't have come here…"

"And why not?" Kairi wondered.

Vincent pointed shakily at the awaiting batallion, and Riku's face went as white as his hair. "We've lead Frollo right to them…"

Those were the last words any of them spoke before the room was swarmed by Frollo's men. In the panic, Vincent managed to slip back behind the tapestries hiding a back exit, and ran down the corridor, expecting Riku, at least, to see him and follow, but after several minutes of running, it became clear that none of the others had seen him get away.

"There'll be a little bonfire in the square tomorrow, and you're all invited to attend." Frollo's voice echoed even out of the cavernous main area. Upon hearing those words, Vincent blanched. The implication of that statement was all too clear. Esmeralda, of course, would be burned at the stake for witchcraft… and as the circumstances now stood, Kairi would likely face the same punishment. With all their hands bound to varying degrees, the Keyblade-wielding trio would be unable to escape their punishment. And Vincent knew that now, the burden of rescuing them was his alone to bear. He had to get them out of this world and destroy Yazoo and Kadaj- quickly- before all of them were irreparably damaged.

.-.-.-.

Kairi squirmed uncomfortably against the ropes binding her at the waist to the wooden stake behind her, feeling her wrists chafe against the rough cords binding hr hands together, rendering her powerless. She felt the bundles of dry sticks being tossed at her side, and shuddered. Though Frollo was making the execution announcement as though it was meant for both female prisoners, Kairi could tell it was meant for Esmeralda, who was bound to a stake adjacent to her own.

"The prisoners Esmeralda and Kairi have been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft!" Frollo read off of a scroll, ignoring the uproar the crowd was in. "The sentence? Death!"

The Princess of Heart was starting to get very worried now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sora caged with Clopin and a few of the other gypsies, his hands bound as hers were, unable to escape. Neither of them had seen Riku or Vincent, and she was starting to fear the worst, especially given the condition Riku had been in earlier. She heard the doors to the cathedral open, and saw the Archdeacon trying t emerge indignantly, only to be halted by two of Frollo's men. Somehow, in that moment, she knew she was seeing Kadaj and Yazoo in a new disguised form. Of course they would interfere with anyone trying to stop the execution of one in the way of their master's plans. Esmeralda, well, she was just a casualty. Hearing Frollo speak to the aforementioned dark-skinned gypsy, Kairi inclined her head towards their conversation, wondering what in the worlds the judge had to say to the woman.

"The time has come, gypsy witch. You stand now upon the brink of the abyss. Yet even now, it is not too late. I can save you from the flames of this world- _and_ the next." Frollo offered the green-eyed woman, holding out the executioner's torch. "Choose me- or the _fire_."

Kairi felt the bile rising in her throat as she realized exactly what Frollo was saying to Esmeralda. She smirked defiantly as the woman spat in the older man's face, a fiery determination appearing in her eyes as approval. Reacting to these twin 'injustices', the judge resumed his sentencing.

"The gypsies have refused to recant. These evil heathens have placed the soul of every citizen in Paris in awful peril…"

Frollo's voice echoed all throughout the town square, even up to the cathedral where Quasimodo was bound to its pillars in chains. Riku had no idea what possessed Frollo to tie him up in the cathedral where Quasimodo was, but he supposed the man thought being in a church would be the worst form of torture for a 'demon' like him. The hunchback was dangling uselessly in the chains, looking completely and utterly defeated. As he was bound but not gagged, Riku decided to try to speak with him.

"Come on, Quasimodo. Your friends are down there! You're a strong person, you have to break those chains!" he encouraged, straining against the ropes binding his hands together and his waist to a pillar. He was taking his own advice, because he was not going to let Kairi or Sora get hurt while he waited and tried to recover.

"I can't. I _tried_. What difference would it make?" Quasimodo asked dully. "In case you haven't noticed, Frollo's already won…"

Riku narrowed his eyes at the deformed man. "Those chains aren't what's holding you back, you know."

"Leave me alone!" Quasimodo shot back, causing Riku to wince uncomfortably.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and Riku answered quietly, "Okay. Fine. I'll leave you alone. Those chains may be made of iron, but I thought, mistakenly, that maybe _you_ were made of something stronger."

The sun had started to rise, and Quasimodo looked up and over the balcony, down to where Frollo was about to start the execution.

"For justice, for Paris, and for their own salvation, it is my sacred duty to send these unholy demons- _back where they belong!_" Frollo shouted, gesturing for the executioner to lower the torch for Kairi's burning as he lowered the one for Esmeralda's himself.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Quasimodo shouted as the dry tinder at Esmeralda's feet began smoking and catching on fire, struggling against his chains valiantly.

Riku tried moving his fingers to undo the knot binding his wrists together, and finally found a loophole he could use to undo the knot. With a swift tug, he felt the blood sing in his hands as he regained full circulation and the ropes tying his wrists fell to the floor. Quasimodo, meanwhile, pulled so strongly against the chains that he sent the stone pillars around which they were wrapped crumbling to the ground. He grabbed a length of rope, lassoed it around a gargoyle, and vanished from Riku's sight.

Meanwhile, on the very top of one of the cathedral towers, Vincent stood, hair billowing behind him as he stared down at the town square. Smoke was rising from what was soon to be Kairi's funeral pyre if he didn't do something to help her. He didn't want to use that form, not after Wonderland, not after what he had almost done to Hojo, but in these circumstances, he had no choice. So, steeling his resolve, he pitched himself off the top of the cathedral, and shifted into Chaos form far above the crowd's sightline.

Above the adrenaline pounding through his veins, he could hardly feel the agony that usually plagued him as he changed in shape. Instead of pain, this time, there was a sense of power. A sense of purpose. He felt the air resistance catch his wings as soon as they formed, and knew the transformation was complete. He went into a steep, swift dive towards the platform where the flames were rapidly approaching Kairi's feet, and, using his inhuman strength, ripped the princess from the fiery jaws of death threatening to consume her before landing in a deserted alleyway just beyond the crowd.

Shifting back into human form, he asked the now barely-conscious girl, "Are you alright?"

Kairi nodded weakly. The carbon monoxide she had inhaled from the smoke had made her a bit woozy, but other than that, she was fine. "Yeah. Nice save, Vincent. Now, let's go get Sora."

And so they pushed their way through the crowd that was fast becoming an angry mob, finally reaching the cage where Sora was held. In the confusion, Kairi knew she could summon her Keyblade and not be really seen. She cut through the ropes binding Sora's wrists, ran around to the front of the cage, smashing the lock on it with the blade before anyone could get a decent look at it. Sora ran for the girl and wrapped her in a close embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" he stated, pulling her close. "I thought for sure you were a goner."

Kairi looked over at their raven-haired companion, who just shrugged and looked away, signalling that there was really no need for credit or thanks, and the three looked up at the cathedral as Quasimodo finished scaling it, Esmeralda slung over his shoulders. The hunchback stood up on the balcony, the gypsy in his arms as he looked over all of Paris, and cried out, "Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"

Within the cathedral walls, Riku struggled against the ropes binding his waist to one of the pillars. He had thought he could cut through them with Way to the Dawn, but all he had managed to accomplish with that method was fraying them slightly. He released his Keyblade before Quasimodo could see him, and sighed. There _had _to be a way to escape…

He heard a pair of voices chuckle in unison, and his head moved towards the door to see two of Frollo's faceless guards entering the room, slowly shifting into Kadaj and Yazoo as they approached him.

"_You two_…" Riku growled, squirming against the ropes holding him in place. Now, more than ever, he wanted to be free so he could fight them.

"Calm down." Yazoo ordered, sounding infuriatingly bored as he cut Riku free. "We aren't here to harm you. Brother has ordered that you are to be spared…"

"But Brother isn't here." Kadaj finished the sentence, looking at the boy like a predator circling its prey, a dangerous gleam coming into his eyes.

"If you wanna get to him, you'll have to get through us!" a higher voice challenged from the doorway.

All three silver-haired figures turned towards the source of the noise, and found Sora, Kairi, and Vincent standing there, looking fearlessly at the opponents.

"I think it's time we ended this fight." Vincent growled.

"My thoughts exactly." Kadaj retorted, lunging for the raven-haired enemy.

Vincent couldn't use Cerberus, not on this world, so he was basically helpless against the onslaught rushing right towards him. Kairi stood between the two, Keyblade held in a defensive position, determined to repay Vincent in kind for the live-saving act he had done for her earlier. Sora drew his own blade, and he and Riku ganged up on Yazoo. Souba, gunblade, and Keyblade kept the sound of metal-on-metal echoing through the halls of the cathedral, leaving some cut marks in the stone walls. Vincent followed the fight as it carried the group of four up ever more flights of stairs, up to where he himself had stood earlier as he prepared to rescue Kairi. Lunge, thrust, dodge, reverse, protect, slash, wound, it was an intricate and deadly dance the combatants executed. Though Yazoo was more of a swordsman than Kadaj, the latter possessed a fighting spirit that could not be lost. Kairi had her hands full trying to stave off his strikes, nevermind making her own. Sora and Riku moved in perfect synchronization as they fought against Yazoo, parrying attempted strikes and scoring several hits of their own, their teamwork an interesting counterpart to Yazoo's proficiency with a blade. Riku dove beneath the sweeping arc of Yazoo's strike as Sora lunged for a hit behind the man's defenses. Kairi blocked Kadaj's strikes with clumsy moves of her own, but it was clear she wouldn't hold up for much longer.

Down below them slightly, the group could see Frollo in pursuit of Esmeralda and Quasimodo as a lake of molten lead and other metals formed in front of the cathedral. Vincent studied the scene for a moment longer than he should, listening to the mad judge's words as he stood on a gargoyle, prepared to bring his blade down upon Esmeralda's neck.

"And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!" Frollo shouted, sword raised high above his head. However, in so doing, he sacrificed sure footing, and the gargoyle crumbled under his weight, carrying him down into the lake of fire below him.

"You ought to pay attention to your surroundings!" Yazoo's listless voice warned, and Vincent turned around to find the man literally two feet away from striking him. There was no way he could defend himself against the blow in time, and if he got injured grievously enough, Chaos would be sure to interfere. He braced himself for the sword ripping through his flesh, but instead heard the clanging of metal on metal as the gunblade met Way to the Dawn. Riku was crouched protectively just in front of him, and after a moment's pause, the silver-haired teen threw all of his strength into the Keyblade, sending Yazoo flying into the air- and off of the tower, falling towards the molten lead several stories below. There was no way even something like him could survive that situation. If the fall itself didn't kill him, the molten metal burning away his skin most certainly would.

Seeing his brother fall, and feeling his presence fade, Kadaj's face became a snarling mask of unbridled fury.

"_YOU!_" he screeched, charging for Riku, only for his attempted strike to miss badly, and overbalance him to the point where it was only by the grasp of his fingers on the tower's edge that he managed to avoid the same death his brother faced.

Riku glared coldly down at the remnant, seemingly prepared to finish him off.

"Riku…" Sora admonished, worried about what the teen would do next.

"I'm not going to kill you." the silver-haired teen told the avatar of his father. "But that doesn't mean that I have to save you. Let's go, guys."

And with that, the group of four walked away from the last remaining 'remnant' of Sephiroth, leaving him with certain death.

.-.-.-.

Reviews are, as always, appreciated. Flames are not.


	12. Deception, Manipulation, and Truths

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over any of the locations, characters, powers and etcetera used in this fanfiction. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright owners.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Eleven- Deception, Manipulation, and Truths

He could feel the stone beneath him, cold against his stomach, a stark contrast to the intense heat of molten metal and flames below him. He couldn't remain here for much longer, that much was certain. He had used most of his strength in that fight with the key bearers and the traitor. Well… as things now stood, Valentine was not the only one who had forgotten the cause which they all strove for.

Sephiroth was no longer to be trusted. Kadaj knew that now. The fool had forgotten his true purpose, and were it not for his weakness, Yazoo, their brother, would never have fallen in this last fight. Yes, this fight had cost them a brother, and that result was unforgivable. Yet, the fact remained that Sephiroth, and not himself, was always Mother's favorite son, her darling one.

_Well… that will change soon enough._ Kadaj thought to himself, the fury of hell awakening within him. _I will show Mother my true strength, and soon, I will be the favored one. And Sephiroth will die a traitor's death for ever letting a brother be killed by one of his own._

.-.-.-.

With Yazoo defeated and Kadaj's fate uncertain, the group of four didn't know exactly where they ought to look next. Twilight Town was the obvious choice, but Vincent vetoed the idea, saying that Sephiroth would know better than to send his people to the most obvious place, especially not a place so close to the dark realm, where his fortress was most likely located. Out of ideas, and honestly running out of patience for petty arguments, Riku suggested they double back to Radiant Garden and see if Cloud or any of the others had any new information. They were hovering above the atmosphere, ready to land, before anyone decided to speak.

"Sora…" Riku began hesitantly.

"Hmmm?" Sora asked absently.

There was a moment of silence, almost as if the silver-haired teen was trying to decide if he should continue. "No. Never mind. It's nothing."

"No, what is it?" Kairi wondered, turning to face their friend. When he hesitated like that, it worried her, because it usually meant he was about to confirm something unpleasant. She knew her fears would be worse than the truth of the matter, so she wanted him to say what was on his mind- for his own sake, as well.

Riku shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Do you ever get the feeling like… maybe we're just being used?"

"Used?" Sora asked, sapphire eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"It's just-" Riku faltered for a moment, and continued, "Cloud was the one who really informed us about this issue, told us about this mission, and it's clear he has something against Sephiroth… So why wouldn't he want to take care of the man's minions himself? Why has he been sitting on Radiant Garden all this time? Sometimes, I just- I just get the feeling like he wants us to deal with the brunt of the dirty work in dealing with Sephiroth's minions so that he can save all his strength to fight Sephiroth… We don't even know what he's planning. We just- we keep running around like chickens with our heads cut off, chasing after phantoms and we don't even know why we're doing it. We're doing all the dirty work so he can have his vengeance fight…"

"Riku, I don't think it's like that." Kairi answered, her calm voice hiding how very nervous she was to hear him speak so condemningly of one of their allies. "And we do have a reason. Sephiroth is _evil_. It doesn't matter what he's up to, he's _evil_, and we need to stop him."

"The princess has a point." Vincent noted. "Look, Riku, I can see where you're coming from, but take it from me, Cloud is… well, he's more of an action man, he's not the sort of person who bothers with manipulation."

"Kairi and Vincent are right." Sora agreed. "You need to stop overthinking things, Riku. Sometimes it really is as simple as 'this is the bad guy, go kill him off'."

"Yeah, I know, but this isn't one of those Saturday morning cartoons we used to watch when we were kids." Riku retorted, sounding far more defensive than was his intent. "Sometimes it really _isn't_ 'just that simple'. The Heartless and Nobodies, yes, they need to be destroyed, they mess up our worlds, but Sephiroth, despite how evil he is, is not a Heartless or Nobody. He's a person, and so is Cloud. I know you tend to get some kind of hero worship thing going on when you meet someone who is a powerful fighter, but Cloud isn't perfect. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just saying you need to be careful, because… well… no offense, Sora, but you are a bit easily manipulated…"

Vincent kept his face carefully composed as he watched the three-way staredown going on between the trio. Internal discord. Lovely. This was the _last_ thing that he needed- to try a mediate an argument between three teenagers forced to face a more adult ideal of the philosophy of good and evil, each with differing thoughts on the matter. After a moment, Sora sighed.

"Yeah, I know." the spiky-haired teen admitted. "I see the best in people, so I tend to get played. But- you really need to start trusting people more, Riku. Cloud's a good guy... He's just a bit preoccupied at the moment."

Riku nodded. "Okay. I'm not gonna say anything. If you trust him… I trust him too."

With the argument apparently smoothed over, the group of four landed on the surface of Radiant Garden, and began walking for Ansem's Castle.

.-.-.-.

Squall was surveying the repairs from the orbital bombardment from the supercomputer in Ansem's Castle. Most of the others were out lending a helping hand. Aerith, of course, still tended to the slowly-recovering wounded, but Squall was told to remain behind in case anyone tried to storm the castle and take the Heartless Factory again. As soon as he heard the footsteps behind him, he snatched his gunblade and turned around to find himself face-to-face with his former teacher Quistis Trepe.

"Excellent defensive reflexes, but your footwork is off and your form is weak. I would have expected slightly better from a premier SeeD." the red-haired woman commented, her voice containing but a trace of that old teacher detachment. "Grading aside, it's good to see you, Squall."

"What do you want, Quistis?" Squall shot back. He was in no mood whatsoever for formalities with one of Sephiroth's minions.

"I'm not here on Sephiroth's behalf, so you can put your gunblade down." the instructor replied calmly. "In fact, to be honest, I never did come here on Sephiroth's behalf. Even during that first attack, it wasn't for his benefit."

Refusing to let his guard down, the brown-haired man asked, "Then why were you working with him? Why did you attack me?"

The instructor's answer was short and direct. "For your benefit."

"What?" the former SeeD wondered, now thoroughly confused.

Quistis sighed. This would be a long discussion. "Why don't you contact the others? It's probably for the best if I discuss this matter with everyone."

.-.-.-.

Sora and the others arrived at Ansem's Castle just in time to hear Quistis's explanation of her actions. Though both Riku and Vincent seemed a bit on te defensive, trigger-happy side, a warning glance from the other two in their group told them to hear the woman's story out before they decided whether or not she was lying or a threat.

Quistis wrung her hands for a moment before smoothing out her pink skirt, and clearing her throat, startling a few people present. Then, she fixed her ice blue eyes on Squall, and said, "I suppose I ought to explain how exactly I came to be in Sephiroth's employ. Though SOLDIER and SeeD were two completely independent organizations on opposite sides of the world which had little to do with one another, Sephiroth had indeed heard of Squall, Seifer, and myself. Knowing Squall had allied himself with Cloud, Sephiroth sought to eliminate him as a potential threat to his plot, and thus came after Seifer and I. He tracked down Seifer on Twilight Town, his current home. You see, Seifer used to live here, on Radiant Garden, but when the world was consumed in darkness, he was transported away. Corridors of darkness… well, they change people. Many lost their memories, some even lost their lives. Seifer lost years in age, and also had his memories of his old homeworld suppressed. Sephiroth managed to partially awaken these memories, and return him to his true age in exchange for his loyalty. As for myself, I volunteered, pretending to be consumed by an overwhelming hatred of Squall for some pathetic slight he had inflicted on me many years ago at a SeeD ball. Sephiroth appeared skeptical, but did not press the matter any further, presumably because he had his hands full enough in trying to control his three remnants."

"I've been wondering about that for quite some time now." Riku stated, drawing some stares. "How was Sephiroth able to so completely control those three remnants of his? They each claim to be receiving orders from their supposed 'Mother', but they have almost the same goals. They're clearly sentient and have their own personalities, so they're not dolls, so how is Sephiroth able to control all three of them at once?"

Quistis smiled. This was what she missed about being a teacher- explaining things and watching the little lightbulbs go off above the students' heads when they finally figured it out. "He doesn't really, fully control them. They are Neoshadow Heartless, infused with mako, JENOVA cells, and some of Sephiroth's own cells. But I'd imagine Vincent has already informed you of that much. Sephiroth's manipulation of JENOVA cells is so absolute, he can, should his body be destroyed, enter into another body that possesses JENOVA cells, and use the cells within them to make them do whatever he wishes them to. Even still, his control is not absolute. Cloud could probably give you more information on exactly what occurs when he's moving to control someone."

The blond swordsman took that as his cue to speak, though he only did so after an encouraging look from Aerith. "It's not so much like there's a voice inside your head telling you to do something… I mean, he can and does do that, but mostly when he speaks to you like that, he's mocking you. It's just a really strong compulsion, an urge that you can't really define. I suppose even a remnant could fight it off if they really wanted to, but it's not easy- and very painful."

The red-haired instructor nodded, pushing her glasses upward slightly. "So, you see, the three remnants have always been under Sephiroth's control. Never JENOVA's control. Kadaj, from what I gathered before I came here, has been going renegade, so I'm willing to bet he's fighting off Sephiroth's control for some reason or another. Now, you're probably wondering why I'm standing here telling you all this. Well, I sort of got caught snooping in Hojo's private databases. I had to flee straight here to tell you what I knew. I couldn't find anything of use in Hojo's private computer, as Sephiroth didn't ever really trust the man with anything, even in his laboratory. However, I do know what he's up to."

"And what exactly is he planning?" Cloud asked, an edge to his voice.

Riku's heart started pounding in his chest. This would be the moment of truth- the moment where they found out if Sephiroth's plans were indeed something that absolutely needed to be stopped for the good of everyone-or that were only wanted gone because they endangered the life of one man.

"The same thing as last time." Quistis stated, her voice deadly serious. "To become a god. He wants to become the god of all worlds."

Sora's eyes grew wide. "That's-!"

"That's terrible. But how? And how do we stop him?" Kairi asked earnestly, her voice rising slightly in pitch out of nerves.

Quistis seemed taken aback for a second, and then smirked to herself, chuckling softly. "Sephiroth, you are indeed a master tactician… He told me what his plan was, but was intentionally quite vague on the 'how' of it. So… I honestly, really don't know how he's going to do it. As to how to stop him, the only solution appearing to me at the moment is the most direct, obvious one: kill him before he gets his chance at ascendancy. That's why he got the minions he did. He needed Hojo's scientific brilliance for creating the remnants to wreak havoc and provide a distraction for the heroes. Vincent, Seifer, and I were also to cause chaos and serve as distractions from the true plan he had. And with minions, he knew you would have to go through them to kill him, giving him the most time to enact his goals from the World That Never Was…"

"So he's been playing us from the beginning." Sora commented, his head dropping. "And we let him."

"It's not like there was anything else we could do…" Kairi soothed. "Countless innocent people could have died if we didn't go after Sephiroth's minions... And Vincent wouldn't be fighting alongside us if we hadn't been looking for him… And let's not forget we owe Vincent our lives after Notre Dame… So it's not a total loss, and we can still stop him."

The others in the room nodded in agreement, and Vincent looked around the room, noticing something off. After a moment's searching, he realized what it was. "Quistis. Where are Squall and Yuffie?"

"Yuffie's out helping with the clean-up, still." Cid replied. "As for Leonhart- hey, where the heck is he, anyway? I thought he called this meeting."

Quistis sighed. "That was the other thing I needed to tell you. Seifer promised that he wouldn't betray me to Sephiroth if I let him capture Squall for a fight without any interference. He's been tired of doing Sephiroth's bidding, and if he gets the chance to fight against Squall, the terms of his bargain are complete, and he doesn't have to work for Sephiroth anymore. I told Squall that was what would happen, and he left anyway."

"So you bartered him for information like some sort of sacrificial lamb?" Sora challenged, his fists clenching.

"It wasn't like that." Quistis retorted defensively. "In a way, this is war. Sometimes one life has to be forfeited for the good of many more. Squall recognized that. Without the information I possess, you wouldn't know what Sephiroth was planning to do, where he is, or why he's doing it, and you'd still be lost. I'll admit, I'm not proud of this, but I did it because I had to. And because I'm sure that Squall can win that fight. He's won it before, and he can win it again. And perhaps this way, Seifer won't need to be senselessly killed in a rampage to stop Sephiroth."

Whatever response Sora had died in his throat. He hated it, absoutely _hated_ it when people talked about others becoming sacrifices for the greater good. Now, he himself had done it once before, to save someone he loved, and that he could accept. But to die for some vague 'greater good' that was in the gray area of being even considered 'good' was not something he could deal with.

The meeting was clearly over, and the others exited the room. All of them, except for Riku and Vincent. Sora and Kairi looked back at the two, but after a moment's waiting, sighed, and left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Let me see the feather." Vincent stated, his voice breaking the silence, and startling Riku.

"What?" the silver-haired teen asked, believing the best thing to do would be to play innocent.

Vincent's crimson eyes pierced the boy's aquamarine ones in a glare that let him know he wasn't fooled at all. Sighing, Riku reached into his pocket, and pulled out the single piece of black plumage that hinted at his father's presence near him on Notre Dame before dropping it into Vincent's hand.

"A 'guardian angel' got you down from those chains, huh?" Vincent asked flatly, holding the feather in between his fingers as if he was studying it. "Sora may not be a master of subtlety, but I caught what you meant. And, to be honest, you're not a very good liar."

Riku chuckled wryly. "My eyes can't lie, huh? Heh. Sora's way too trusting sometimes… Not that I'm saying he shouldn't trust me, I'm just- saying."

"So… he really does care for you?" Vincent asked gently, changing the subject. "You truly think he cares for you now?"

"He must hold some amount of care in his heart, or he would have killed me while I was weak." Riku answered. "But… I don't know if that was a fluke or whatever, so I wouldn't definitely say this was a 'father's love' kind of a thing."

"So you are prepared to accept the fact that his little stunt on Notre Dame may have just been a ploy to earn your trust." the Ex-Turk noted. "Good. It saves me a warning. I didn't want to press the matter with the others there, as it would confuse them into thinking Sephiroth could possibly be redeemable. I know he's shown some measure of affection in rescuing you, but he's enough of a monster that I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that to further his own plans. He is past redemption for what he has done. Do not forget the countless innocents he killed on Radiant Garden. That should help if you're facing any hesitation…"

And with that, the raven-haired gunman exited the room, his cape _swish_ing behing him as he left Riku alone with his thoughts.

.-.-.-.

"Um… Cloud?" Sora asked, poking his head into the archives, which he heard was where Cloud had hid himself after the meeting with Quistis.

"I'm such an idiot." Cloud muttered to himself. "We knew flat out where he had gone to learn how to control the Heartless, but I didn't think he'd be making his base there…"

"Hey, it's not like it matters. His minions are pretty much all taken care of. We know where he is. We can just storm his castle tomorrow and end this." Sora assured him, his usual smile returning to his face.

"'We'?" Cloud wondered. "No. There is no 'we' in this. You and Kairi and your other friend are going back to your islands tomorrow. I'm going to go deal with Sephiroth alone."

"My other friend has a_ name_, you know." Sora retorted. "And no way am I letting you go alone. I'm starting to wonder if you're doing this for the right reasons… I mean, it's clear you hate Sephiroth, and I can understand why, but…"

"This isn't about revenge, this is about making sure he can never make the worlds suffer again!" Cloud shot back vehemently.

"That's a lie and you know it!" Sora cut in, glaring fiercely into the blond swordsman's eyes. "Look, Kairi, Riku and I can handle this ourselves! Just let me go to fight him with them, and-!"

"NO!" Cloud shouted, slamming his hand on the table where he sat.

"Noooo!" he shouted again, practically flipping the table over, sending books and papers flying everywhere.

There was an awkward pause for a moment before Sora softly stated, "You ripped some of the books…"

Cloud's nostrils flared as he exhaled his pent up breath. "I have been chasing after this man for nearly two decades of my life. I have come too far to just step back and let a group of three _children_ handle the fight that is rightfully _mine_. I have let him get away far too many times before, and here is where I draw the line. He has taken away my entire life from me, I refuse to let him take you from me as well!"

"He's only taken away your _entire_ life _because you've let him_!" Sora retorted. "You still have Aerith! You still have all your other allies from before! And what do you mean 'take me from you'? It's not like you have any stake in my life! You're not my _father_."

At those final words, Cloud's mako-tinged blue eyes went wide, and a pained expression crossed his face. A mere moment later, Sora thought of a possible reason why. "Oh no. No. No. _No._"

"Yes." Cloud replied softly.

"But _how_?" Sora asked, his voice raised to practically a whine. "I mean, Mom told me that my dad had left when I was little, but when did you ever make it to the islands?"

Cloud sighed. "I told you, I've been chasing Sephiroth for nearly two decades. I went everywhere he went- including the islands. I may have had my mission, but I was, honestly, getting a little tired. Tired, and lonely. So I stayed to rest. A day turned into a week, which became months, which became a year, and next thing I know, I'm staring at the face of a beautiful baby boy. That's the way the islands work on you, I guess. They're calm, peaceful. It's easy to fall into a rut and not be able to crawl out. I spent two years on that island after you were born. I guess it's the old country boy from Nibelheim in me- I just wouldn't have felt right about leaving your mother alone."

"But you left anyway." the spiky-haired teen replied. "You left to go back on the hunt for Sephiroth. Why? Didn't you love us anymore?"

"Of course I did. But- I'm not going to lie to you and say I forgot about Sephiroth while I was on the islands. At first, it took all I had to avoid just leaving the islands to find him, as he clearly wasn't there, but as time passed, it got harder and harder to force myself to leave. It left me with many restless nights, believe me. But- eventually- I knew I had to leave, or risk my sanity wondering what Sephiroth was doing, who he could be harming. And with that thought came the realization that if I stayed, Sephiroth could hurt you to get to me. So I left. I left before you could clearly remember me, so you wouldn't be hurt or confused. And… after a while… I forgot you…" Cloud confirmed. "It wasn't until I saw you at the Coliseum that I really remembered my time on the islands…"

"So, what, that whole 'don't lose sight of your light' thing was an attempt at fatherly advice?" Sora asked, a faint smile appearing on his face.

At the sight of that smile, Cloud knew that everything was forgiven. Sora still very childish and immature, but his light would brighten anybody's heart, even if he couldn't do anything to solve the issue. "Yeah. I guess. Never been one for giving advice, but it looks like you've taken it to heart. But- you're still not coming. You and your friends need to go home and let the grown-ups handle this."

"Okay…" Sora agreed glumly, hanging his head.

"Now, listen, follow me for a moment. You don't need to go get Riku, but there is something that all of us here would like to discuss…" the blond swordsman stated calmly, pulling Sora along into another room where everyone except Quistis and Riku were gathered. Yuffie waved brightly at Sora as he walked in, apparently back from helping with repairs.

Sora just looked around at the group nervously. He wasn't sure what this was about, but he had a really bad feeling about it.

"Glad you could join us, Sora." Aerith stated amiably. "Ehm… listen, there's not exactly a pleasant way to put this, but this meeting we're having, it's- well, it's about Riku."

.-.-.-.

After his last discussion with Vincent, Riku had really needed some alone time. He knew Sephiroth was a complete and total monster, and there was no way they could just stand aside and let him become a god, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel some trepidation at the fact that he would have to kill someone who had shown a little bit of care for him. He heard lowered voices from down the hall, and crept down towards the room where they seemed to be coming from. Normally, he wasn't a big fan of eavesdropping, but it seemed odd to him that he wouldn't be invited in to whatever little powwow they were having. He pressed his ear against the door, and heard his name mentioned by someone. The voice was high-pitched, not airy, so it was likely Yuffie. There was a moment's pause, and the speaking resumed.

"… Riku is his son… not sure… trusted…" a voice that sounded like Cloud's whispered urgently.

"… talking about? He isn't… Sephiroth did… being paranoid… Has been acting odd, though…" Sora's voice hissed back.

"…kind of scaring me… hasn't been himself…" Kairi admitted, her voice slightly louder than the others.

"… resemblance is eerie… mirror image…" Vincent replied quietly. His next words were impossible to make out through the door.

"… been acting... remember after the attack? He… exactly what Sephiroth… not only time…" Aerith hissed back. "… every time I see him… more like him…"

"…know you're scared, Aerith, but… like that. He's… confused… worldview altered… parent lied to him…" Cid hissed back.

"… almost killed her, Cid! How… expect her to stay calm… someone who's… like him?" Yuffie retorted.

"Quiet, Yuffie!" Vincent hushed, his voice rising above the others. "… walls… ears…"

Their discussion may have continued, but Riku no longer cared to hear any more of what was said.

_So… so that's it then…_ he thought to himself as he wandered back down the hallway. _They really __**don't**__ trust me. Not even Sora and Kairi… None of them... Even my closest friends don't trust me because of my blood… Why do I even bother deluding myself? It's always the same. I'll always be the outside man. But… maybe I'm not hearing the full story. Maybe they do trust me, maybe they're just worried… Man. That sounds like a lie even in my head._

He sat down outside the archives room, and leaned his head back against the door frame. He couldn't let himself dwell on the truth he had just heard. No. His friends still trusted him. They were just worried. Yeah, that was it. Denial could always save him from falling down into darkness, because he refused, _refused_ to betray his friends again for a perceived injustice.

.-.-.-.

The meeting had finally ended, and as the others exited the meeting room, the lithe Wutaian Princess said, "You guys go ahead! I'll catch up later!"

Once all their footsteps had faded from earshot, the girl smirked as her appearance slowly altered. Her hair grew ten times longer, lengthening to below the hips, turning silver as it went. The brown eyes became cat-like green, and she grew taller as her facial features rearranged. Mere moments later, where Yuffie had stood, only Sephiroth remained, a malicious grin spread across his face.

"Dance, my puppets. Dance." he stated softly, chuckling slightly.

And with those final words, he vanished in a puff of black plumage.

.-.-.-.

Reviews, as always, are appreciated. Flames are not. Hope you enjoyed!


	13. Facing The Darkness

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over any Square Enix or Namco characters, locations, powers, and etcetera used in this chapter. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright owners.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Twelve- Facing the Darkness

Sora had no intention of being a good little boy and staying on Radiant Garden, as per his father's orders. He had had enough of being treated like a child who didn't know what he was doing, and he and his friends were going to prove it. So, he grabbed Riku and Kairi, and prepared to leave. However, as they reached the Gummi Ship, they found Vincent leaning casually against it.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, mock-amiably.

The spiky-haired teen glared at the gunman. "Out of the way, Vincent."

"Cloud told me to be sure you didn't leave this world." the Ex-Turk noted, glancing downwards at the three teenagers. "But- I know if I try to stop you, you'll fight me, and I don't want to risk Chaos getting unleashed on you. So, I'll accompany you. As long as I'm keeping tabs on you, you should be fine."

"Thank you." Kairi thanked generously, boarding the Gummi Ship behind her two friends. Vincent sighed for a moment, then hesitantly got on board the ship.

"So, set course for the World That Never Was?" Riku asked, strapping himself into a seat.

"Yeah." Sora answered, his face set determinedly forward.

They had just passed Twilight Town when the sensors began going crazy. Hearing the insanely fast beeping noises, Vincent asked, "What's going on?"

"I don't know!" Sora cried out, pressing buttons in an utter panic. "The computer's not responding to anything I do! It's not letting me switch over from autopilot!"

"But why are all the sensors going insane?" Kairi wondered, looking around in desperation.

"I don't know, there must be some large energy source messing with them or something!" the Keyblade Master stated, his voice rising in pitch as his panic grew.

"Uh, Sora? I'm afraid that's the least of our problems…" Riku noted, pointing out from the porthole.

The brown-haired teen looked out the porthole, and his eyes went really wide. They were headed on a collision course with a massive, purple, comet-like object.

"Steer us away from that thing!" Kairi cried out.

"I can't! The controls aren't responding!" Sora shot back.

"It looks like we've been pulled into this objects gravitational field…" Vincent stated, oddly calm against the rising panic around him.

"And that means?" Sora asked fearfully.

Riku gulped. "We're gonna crash!"

There was a massive internal cry of panic as the ship's engines guttered out, and was sent spiralling downward onto the surface of the comet. After a moment's freefall, they felt the ship jar violently as it came into contact with solid ground, and it all went black.

.-.-.-.

"…lo there…"

"... you hear me?"

The first thing Kairi was aware of was a voice calling out to her. The voice wasn't one she had ever heard before, or could recognize, so it was safe to say it wasn't one of her comrades trying to awaken her. Though… the man's voice sounded kind, so she likely wasn't in any danger.

"You seem to be waking up. Can you open your eyes?"

The Princess of Heart groaned, but obliged the man. She remembered the Gummi Ship crashing, but couldn't see any of its remnants nearby. She must have been thrown from it when it collided with the ground. She appeared to be in some sort of high-tech facility, something that was equipped to where it could almost be a city- though it felt completely and utterly lifeless, which sent shivers down her spine. The supposed comet must have been a new world of some sort… Sighing, she turned her gaze towards the man who had apparently rescued her.

The man was certainly very interestingly dressed- though, Kairi smiled as she thought to herself, so were all of her friends. He had auburn, spiky hair with bangs that fell in front of his brown eyes. He wore navy fingerless gloves, which accentuated the navy undershirt that he wore beneath the light purple and white cape which hung on his back. His sleeves and pants legs were of similar design to the cape, and bound across his torso by several brown belts. He had a sword sheathed at his side, and upon his right hand, there was a beautiful blue gem set into an ornate sort of crest.

"Wh- who are you?" the princess wondered. "And… where am I?"

The man sighed. "So you _are_ alive. Good. My name is Kratos Aurion, and this location is known as Derris-Kharlan. I surmise you're not from Sylvarant, nor Tethe'alla?"

Kairi shook her head. "No. I've never even heard of those places. I'm… well… I suppose you'd believe me if I said I was from another world."

Kratos did not seem fazed. "It wouldn't surprise me. After all, this place has been floating aimlessly through space for quite some time now. It would make sense to run into people from other worlds at some point."

Kairi nodded. The World Order could be forgotten about for the moment- she needed answers. "What exactly is this place? What happened to the Gummi Ship? And… where are my friends, Sora, Riku, and Vincent?"

The aubrun-haired warrior looked straight into the girl's eyes before answering her question. "In order? Derris Kharlan is a giant comet composed of mana, which is the source material that composes all things. It is also the source of all magic. At least, that's how it is for my world. It might apply to yours as well. Specifically, we are in its capital city of Welgaia, a place once known as the homeworld for elves and those calling themselves angels. As for the 'Gummi Ship'- I presume that's the craft you arrived here in?- I found its twisted remains just beyond the warp device I used to bring you here. And your friends… I'm not sure. You were the only one I found in the wreckage. They had either already escaped the area, were flung from the ship, or they could already be…"

"No. They're alive." Kairi cut him off, conviction strong in her voice. "They're strong. They could survive this. I just have to find them."

She tried standing up, and swayed a little before losing her balance and falling. Kratos caught her by the arm, and lifted her up single-handedly. "You're still weak from your injuries. I'm not going to forbid you from finding your friends, but you don't know the layout here. I will accompany you until you reunite with your companions. And then- we'll see about finding a way for you all to return to your proper course."

.-.-.-.

Vincent and Sora had been wandering around aimlessly on the endless stairwells and ramps that connected to form this world's solid surface. Vincent reasoned that it had been sheer luck which let them land on a sold portion and not tumble all the way through the comet.

"Ugh… How many more of these platforms are we going to have to walk across before we finally _get_ somewhere?" Sora cried out in exasperation.

"I don't know." Vincent replied. He really didn't like the look of this place- ancient-looking stone walkways eerily suspended in midair with a vague deep purple backdrop that was clearly not solid. The footing looked like it was soon to crumble, and the very air had a sort of mysterious charge to it that set him on edge.

Of course, what he liked least of all was that the World Order's enchantments were once more rearing their ugly heads. Notre Dame had not forced his weapon to change, though on that world there were clearly no guns. But here, he had found his ever faithful weapon replaced by an archer's bow and arrow. Perhaps the charge in the air was the magic which forced the change. He didn't know, and honestly, at this point, he didn't care. He cast his eyes ahead to a platform, and noticed some sort of angelic-winged sentry staring back at them, looking murderous.

"Sora? We're about to have company…" Vincent muttered, drawing out the bow, and placing an arrow in it, ready to fire.

The boy nodded, and summoned his Keyblade in its natural form. Vincent practially snorted to himself at the sight. Lucky kid, he always got to keep his weapon the same. Pushing aside such petty thoughts, he pulled back the string, and fired the first arrow. Though the weapon was considerably harder to fire and reload than Cerberus, Vincent maintained his sharpshooter's accuracy, and the arrow pierced through the angelic sentry's shoulder, though the creature was hardly deterred in its path. Sora charged for it, and swept the Keyblade in a sequence of three slashing attacks towards the creature, each of which scored hits, but did not seem to be stopping the creature.

"No good, huh? Let's see how you like this! Blizzard!" Sora shouted.

Nothing happened. The air didn't even cool slightly.

"Wha-? Why isn't it working?" the spiky haired teen wondered, a confused expression appearing on his face.

Vincent could feel the materia embedded in his arm, but it seemed his own abilities to use magic were also being supressed. He sighed, closing his eyes to focus, and felt the charged air start to pool around him. At that moment, he realized what needed to be done. "Sora! Focus on the energy of the spell you need to cast, and you'll be able to access your magic!"

"…O… kay. Not sure I get it, but gotcha." Sora answered, retreating back to Vincent's location, and placing his other palm on the Keyblade. He needed to freeze the enemy, so he focused on cold. Cold, and ice. As he did so, he felt the air start cooling down around him and energy start welling up inside him, pooling at his center of gravity. "Okay, let's see how you like _this_!"

And he released the energy from within him. A single spike of ice leaped up from the ground and encased the enemy before shattering. In spite of this, the sentry didn't seem deterred.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Sora exclaimed, looking back at Vincent, who now seemed deep in concentration. Now that he looked, he could vaguely see purple mystic symbols forming beneath him on the ground. Deciding to leave him alone, Sora charged for the angel, slashing his Keyblade through one of its wings.

Vincent could feel the crackle of electricity run through his body as energy welled up inside him. He could tell the spell was ready to be cast. "Out of the way. Thunder Blade!"

Sora dodge-rolled backwards just in time to see a blade entirely composed of lightning slam into the ground, piercing the sentry from above before sending a massive shockwave of electrical energy outward, essentially frying it and sending it toppling off of the platforms.

"Whoa. That. Was. Awesome." Sora stated in an awe-filled voice. "Didn't take you for being one to call your attacks, though."

"I'm not." Vincent stated, putting away his bow. "But the energy used for that attack would not release from me unless I said something. Thunder Blade suggested itself in my mind as the name of the attack, so I went with that."

"But for me, my attack worked when I just said like 'take this' or something…" Sora noted, confused.

"Yes, but your spell was also a much lower-level spell than the one I used. It's likely the spell name need not be said for lowest level magic."

The pair walked on, undeterred for quite some time until, finally, they reached what appeared to be the main platform. They ran for what seemed to be a warp panel, but found themselves trapped inside a panel on the floor that was marked with a strange emblem. Neither of them had any time to react as they were transported to new locations and separated from another, though they both knew one thing for certain: they had just walked into a trap.

.-.-.-.

Riku had been walking for a long time, and was getting nowhere. He could feel his muscles aching, yearning to shut down after so long, but he knew he had to keep going. He had to find his friends. His foot caught on a raised stone, and he fell forward onto the ground- or whatever passed for ground, wherever he was. He had been feeling pressure beneath his left shoulder since before they had left Radiant Garden, but didn't dare say anything to his friends for fear of their reactions. Besides, he was fine. There was no need to worry…

A wave of nausea and weakness rushed over him, and he could feel himself shaking. The pressure in his back had long since given way to pain, and now the pain was such that it threatened to burst. And burst it did, tearing a long gash in his back as something which was now attached to him at a fundamental level unfurled from his back, growing larger and twitching as if it had a mind of its own. Almost blinded from the pain, Riku crawled for the warp panel he could see just ahead of him, but collapsed, unable to move any further atop a piece of flooring marked with an otherworldly crest. Next to him, he could see blood and viscera soaked silver feathers on the ground. Upon his back, drenched as a newborn chick, there was a silver-feathered wing protruding at an awkward angle from beneath his shoulder. The last thing he could consciously remember was a strange floating sensation before it went black once more.

.-.-.-.

Kairi shivered as she and Kratos walked through another deserted hallway. The fact that a place this large and equipped with this level of technology could remain totally lifeless was well and truly disturbing to her. "Why is this place so… barren?"

Kratos appeared to hesitate for a moment before answering. "It is because the previous inhabitants have passed on. And even those who remain do little for themselves."

"You're very knowledgeable." Kairi noted, gazing at her guide intently. "Are you one of those false angels who once called this place their home?"

Kratos appeared taken aback. "… You're very perceptive. I was. Well, physically, I still am. But I no longer have ties to those beings which once lived- or, rather, existed- here."

There was a swift glimmer of light from the gem on Kratos's hand, and Kairi's sapphire eyes widened as a pair of semi-transparent light blue wings appeared on the man's back.

"… You don't seem too terribly surprised…" the man murmured, noting the apparent lack of reaction.

"Well… I've seen people with wings before." Kairi commented, shivering slightly. "But your wings aren't like his. His are more like what you'd find on a bird. Yours are more ethereal. They're actually kind of pretty. I'm guessing that gem on your hand is what lets you have them?"

Kratos nodded. "Yes. This 'gem', as you call it, is known as a Cruxis Crystal, though believe me, you don't want to get mixed up with one…"

He stopped walking, and Kairi stopped behind him. "This warp panel will take us back to the main portion of Derris Kharlan, where your friends are probably still wandering about. From here, there will be a chance we could encounter some of the former angels, as well as powerful monsters. These creatures will try to kill us. I assume you know how to fight?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. I'm a little shaky on how magic works here, though. I've been trying to use a healing spell for a while now, but nothing's happening."

"I'll try to help you. Doubtless the mana surrounding this place is what interfered with your craft and caused you to crash. It's likely it is also affecting your access to magic. You still have it, but you must use a different path to access it. I'll explain more when we actually get into a battle."

The warrior and the princess stepped onto the warp panel, and exited towards Derris Kharlan. However, they hardly advanced three feet from the panel when their efforts were blocked by a force field above a strange symbol engraved onto the floor.

"The… Derris Emblem seal? This was deactivated when Mithos- how could it…?" Kratos muttered to himself.

"What's going on? Why can't we get past here?" Kairi wondered.

The warrior sighed. This would be a long story. "This- is the Derris Emblem seal, designed by the previous ruler of this land, Mithos Yggdrasill, to keep out any intruders by sealing his own sins within it, transporting them to areas where they would be confronted by reminders of those same sins as they occurred in their own lives. When Mithos was killed, shortly before this comet returned to its wandering trek, the seal should have been deactivated. So how is it now active once more?"

The auburn-haired girl had the answer for that one. "Kadaj. He's an enemy my friends and I have been fighting. We left him for dead on another world, but he must have fled here and reactivated that Derris Emblem thing to try and trap us here so he could kill us."

Kratos nodded in understanding. "At any rate, your friends have likely been trapped within the Derris Emblem. I can guide you to the locations of the traps, but you'll have to free them on your own. If I were to try to intervene, I myself would only get trapped within it. Once we free them, the seal should deactivate, and you can advance forward to Vinheim, where Mithos's former castle- and, likely, your enemy, Kadaj- await."

"But what makes you so sure I won't get trapped as well?" Kairi wondered, looking at her guide.

"You seem different from most other people I've met. Genuine. It's almost as if you haven't a trace of sin in your heart."

Kairi smiled at hearing those words. Kratos was more correct than he knew. "Well, then. Shall we go find my friends?"

Her guide nodded, auburn bangs falling into his eyes once more. "The closest trap to here is that for the Coward… the one which I, myself, once fell victim too."

And thus, they set off to retrieve Kairi's friends.

.-.-.-.

Sora felt his feet touch down on a strange, transparent blue floor. An odd symbol appeared behind him, and suddenly, a whirlpool of darkness formed in the center of it, tendrils reaching out and grabbing his feet.

"Oh great, not this again!" Sora shouted as he ran to avoid getting pulled in. He may as well have been running in quicksand, as he felt himself be pulled down to his waist in darkness. "Gah! Let me go!"

There was a faint buzzing noise, and Riku appeared before him, smirking at his current predicament. "Well, well, well. Looks like you're in a bit of trouble, Sora. Better run before the darkness gets you."

"Riku? What're you-?" Sora asked, eyes widening in confusion. "No. Wait. This is probably just some kind of head game. Just an illusion. A dream, maybe."

Riku laughed. "You think I'm just a dream? Wow, Sora, your grip on reality's even more shaky than I thought it was. You can't tell it's me? Your old friend? You really need to stop just blindly believing the first thing that enters that thick skull of yours."

"What're you talking about?" Sora challenged. "I don't just-"

"Save it, Sora." the silver-haired teen cut him off. "You were never supposed to be the Keybearer. It was supposed to be me. I would've known what needed to be done, but you- you needed every little bit explained to you. When you heard about Xehanort and Organization XIII, you were just told you needed to fight them. You didn't ever wonder why, and even if you were given a shaky justification, you just blindly believed whatever somebody told you about the current enemy. You can be so gullible sometimes, you know that? You couldn't even see that both Cloud and Sephiroth were playing you, and even when it got pointed out to you, you denied it. Sephiroth played on your desperate need to save people to keep you distracted. Any idiot could've seen through that plan but you. And Cloud, well, he abused your implicit trust in him to get you to do the dirty work for him in his neverending quest for vengeance. He's such a great dad, isn't he? Forcing his own child, who will obey him without question, to clear a pathway for him in his revenge. And you, scared to challenge, scared to find out that there might be something complicating the matter, just went along with it. You are such a sap."

"That's not-!" Sora shot back, his confidence failing him mid-answer. Riku had a point. He never did bother to question why he fought. He just- fought when someone told him to.

"You're the ultimate tool, Sora. The pawn who doesn't even know or care what he's fighting for, so long as he's deluded into believing it's for the greater good. You're scared to look into the shadows and maybe find something that would make it much more difficult for you to attack it mindlessly in good conscience." Riku sneered, hatred gleaming in his eyes. "In the end, all you are is a little kid who's afraid of the dark."

"I… You're… That doesn't make any sense…" Sora muttered, feeling himself slip further into darkness.

"Yes it does." a new voice argued. There was another faint rushing sound, and Kadaj appeared next to Riku. "You never question- you just act, and that is what makes you so easy to manipulate. Your supposedly heroic heart quails at the sight of darkness in those you place on pedestals, and so you ignore the possibility that they might not have your best interests at heart. You're just a weapon. But I can make you more."

"Yeah. The darkness isn't so bad once you get used to it. You actually kind of enjoy it when your Antiform takes over, right? And then you can choose your own goals, and not have to blindly follow anyone else's anymore. You can have your own life. Just do like I did, and join with Kadaj…" Riku offered, his voice now silken and oh so very much like Sephiroth's.

"I could… choose my own path?" Their words were starting to sound like good ideas, which set about fifty million alarm bells of in Sora's head. He couldn't give in, but as things stood now, he'd drown in the darkness regardless if he didn't get out of this.

There was a sudden flash of light, and he heard Kairi's voice call out to him, "Sora! Don't fall for it!"

"Kairi?" he queried, wondering where, exactly, her voice was coming from. All that was below him was darkness. He couldn't see a mote of light, but it sounded like her voice had come from within the abyss below him.

"Wake up, Sora." Riku taunted. "This is reality. That voice you're hearing is the illusion."

"No, it's not! _They're_ the illusion!" Kairi's voice insisted. "Think about it. Would Riku ever speak so cruelly to any of us? No! And sometimes, yeah, the bad guys might have a halfway decent motive or something that moved them to that point, but it doesn't change the fact that they are evil and still sacrificed countless lives to accomplish their goals. There may be some gray area in what the good guys do, too, but it doesn't change the fact that they are still working for what's best for everyone!"

The Princess of Heart's words tripped something in his mind, and Sora said, "Yeah. You're right. Cloud might be more motivated by revenge than anything else- but then again, he might not. It doesn't change the fact that he's still fighting to destroy a psychopath who wants to become a god. Everyone would suffer if Sephiroth succeeded. And… I suppose Sephiroth may even have his more human moments, but it doesn't change that he still killed countless people. The Riku I know could see that. Which means this Riku is a sham."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" the false Riku interjected. "You'd let yourself be used again?"

Sora shrugged. "I may just be being used, but I have my own reason for doing this as well- I'm fighting to protect all my friends, on all the different worlds that would be harmed if he succeeded. And that's enough motivation for me."

And light pierced the darkness, leaving Sora bewildered as he arrived face to face with Kairi and one of the world's natives in a lifeless city. He felt Kairi's arms around him, and embraced her back. "Thanks, Kairi. The darkness almost had me there, but you pulled me out of it. Just like before."

Kairi smiled at him as she pulled away. "Of course. You idiot. You really are hopeless without me."

The pair laughed, and Kairi's guide cleared his throat. "So much as I hate to break up the tender moment, we do have a mission here. We need to find the others of your group."

The princess's face flushed. "Right. Sorry, Kratos. Sora, come on. Let's go find Riku and Vincent."

Kratos nodded in acknowledgement at the new addition to the party, and said, "The next trap is just beyond here in the old holding cells. It is a test for the Judged, those who have sought vengeance or bear the weight of the sin of murder on their heart."

The two teens exchanged a glance. Sora sighed, "What do you want to bet that _that's_ where we're gonna find-?"

"Vincent." Kairi finished the question. "Most likely. This one's going to be tougher to deal with…"

"Then let's get going. The more time we spend chit-chatting, the longer he's listening to the words of the illusions in the trap." Kratos stated curtly, standing impatiently on a warp panel. The pair of teenagers followed him over, and prepared to go talk Vincent out of whatever mess his mind had cooked up for him with this insane trap.

.-.-.-.

Vincent wasn't sure how long he had been waiting in this jail cell- there was nothing around to mark the time, which seemed quite odd for a place this large. Most likely the former inhabitants were like him, and did not age, therefore the addition of clocks would be somewhat meaningless. What did an hour or two matter when you had an eternity? His crimson eyes widened as his cell door swung open unassisted.

_A trap?_ he wondered, gathering his weapons. He shook his head. _Even if it is, staying here would be counterproductive. I need to find Sora and the others…_

"And how are you supposed to be protecting me if you're stuck in here, hmm?" a far too familiar voice teased softly.

Vincent turned around to face the source of the voice, and found himself confronted with the image of his lost Lucrecia. She was smiling at him, a playful light in her chocolate brown eyes, brown hair descending down her back in the usual high ponytail. She was dressed in her more ethereal white silk clothes that she had worn in her crystal prison, and pearls glistened around her neck.

"Lucrecia?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "No. No, that's impossible. You're dead, and your spirit is bound far away from here. This has to be some sort of trick."

"A trick? Vincent, I think your eyesight's going. I'm right here in front of you, breathing. Alive. Isn't that what you wanted?" Lucrecia wondered, looking deep into Vincent's eyes.

"Of course I wanted to see you, hold you, but-! This is impossible. Completely and utterly impossible."

Lucrecia looked completely wounded, but then her face settled into a cold, distant expression that Vincent recognized on sight, and did not like to see her wear. "Of course it's possible. You called me here. Just as you've always called me back from the Lifestream. Your longing has kept me bound to life, forced to remain on the planet, keeping me from a final rest. But, I suppose I can't really blame you for obsessing, as it was, after all, _your_ actions that led to my death."

"!" Vincent gasped, struck completely speechless.

"You knew Hojo never cared for me, and you knew what he was doing was wrong. But you let me go to him anyway. Too cowardly to admit your feelings, too scared to stand up against your employer, you just let me go. If you had ever really cared for me, you would've said something! And then you go beyond that and get yourself killed in a mockery of a confrontation with Hojo, forcing me, a pregnant, ill woman to work herself to the bone over you, out of some deluded thought that you might have actually honestly cared for me. In a time when Sephiroth was draining all my energy from me, you forced me to work until I passed out. You. Worked me. To death. And now you just keep dragging me back from whatever chance I had at any eternal rest with your so-called regret. And then you spit in my face when I arrive here? Make up your mind!" the woman raged, her voice rising as her hysteria grew.

Vincent's head dropped down, and he carefully studied the floor. He couldn't look in her eyes now- he was too ashamed. "I… I never meant for you to suffer…"

"So why make me suffer any longer?" Lucrecia asked. "Just end it all. Stab yourself, shoot yourself, pitch yourself off of this platform, it really doesn't matter. Any way you go about it, it will all be over."

"Yes." an image of Kadaj appeared next to Lucrecia. "If you die, you will no longer be plagued by guilt, and you will be lifted from your punishment of eternal existance. And if you die, your spirit can no longer bind your love to life, and allow her the rest she so richly deserves."

"Don't listen to them, Vincent!" a new, higher voice interrupted.

Vincent looked over, and found Kairi standing next to him. "Is this… another illusion?"

"Be careful, Vincent. She's trying to trick you. I'm real. I'm right here in front of you. Even though I've been dragged here, isn't that enough?" the brown-haired woman warned, causing Vincent to look back at her.

"Dying isn't going to solve anything, Vincent." Kairi insisted. "You die, and then what? If you end it here, you'll only bring more suffering on your friends who care for you. That will only spawn more despair, which will keep you from your rest. And I somehow sincerely doubt the real Lucrecia would blame you for her own choices. It was _her_ decision to go with Hojo, and it was _her_ decision to work to bring you back from death's door. And the real Lucrecia would realize that."

The princess's words struck a chord in Vincent's heart, and he sighed. "You're right. By ending it all to appease the phantoms of my past, all I would do is bring suffering to those in the present."

"But what about _my_ feelings? Don't you care for me anymore?" the illusory Lucrecia implored, fixing Vincent with a piercing gaze.

"I do…" Vincent murmured. "But… I just… I've spent all this time believing that my eternal existance was punishment enough for my sins. That alone is not true punishment. The punishment I face is using my long life to work to atone for the sins of my past- not just continuing to exist when I long for death. And… if there is a hell I must face, then death would hardly provide me the solace I long for. So… I'll keep on living, and work to atone for what I've done. The true Lucrecia indeed almost sacrificed her life for me to keep living- so I don't think she would want all of her worried hours to go to waste. Which means that this one is only an illusion."

He walked calmly through the false Lucrecia, which faded behind him as he walked. As soon as he did that, he turned around and found Sora, Kairi, and an unknown companion with them.

"We came to get you, Vincent." the princess of heart stated, smiling. "Sorry for the delay."

Vincent shook his head. "No. I'm sorry for allowing myself to nearly give up. I hinged my atonement and forgiveness on my vengeance- and when that eluded me, I stopped trying. So from this moment, I will try to live with the sins of my past, and work towards atonement in the future. Starting by ridding the worlds of this menace which escaped by my hands, and has persisted for far too long."

"And then you'll just forget your past…" the hologram of Kadaj noted. "Your sins deserve punishment. If you refuse to remember the pain of your past, then you shall drown inside the depths of your sins."

And as the image disappeared, a massive armored creature took his place.

"Gah! What is that thing?" Sora exclaimed, pointed behind Vincent.

The man turned around to face it, and leapt back, drawing his bow and arrow as he did so.

Kratos placed a hand on his head, and muttered, "I was afraid of this…"

"What's going on?" Kairi shouted. "What is that?"

The man known as Kratos drew his blade as he answered, "It's the personification of Vincent's sins. I had forgotten about this. In order to obtain the Derris Emblem seal, we must not only free all of your comrades, but defeat the manifestations of their sins in combat."

"We have to fight?" the two teenagers exclaimed in unison.

_**All life bears sin when it is born.**_ the creature before the group of four stated in an echoing voice. _**Will you face your sin?**_

"Yes." Vincent answered determinedly, weapons at the ready.

_**Then sinners be judged.**_

And with that word of warning, the fight began.

.-.-.-.

Okay, to explain the reason why I have included a Tales Series world in a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction: look, I really love that game series, and it is sort of under appreciated compared to the Square Enix games. That being said, criticism that is constructive will be accepted, bashing will not. Please review responsibly.


	14. Birthright of Wings

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Namco. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright holders. That will be all, lawyers.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Thirteen- The Birthright of Wings

Kairi gulped as she drew out her Keyblade. Though Sora was right next to her, and would be fighting right beside her, she was still slightly nervous about facing such a strong opponent when she had no clue how magic worked on this strange world. She looked nervously back at Vincent and Kratos for help. Vincent, bow and arrows drawn, appeared to be deep in concentration and was mumbling softly to himself. Kratos, on the other hand, nodded at Kairi to signal that she should start trying to fend this- _thing_, whatever it was, off. She nodded in understanding, and charged for the enemy, Keyblade drawn. She landed a series of three solid hits, but her wide-arcing strikes left her completely vulnerable, and the creature lashed out at her with one of its limbs, sending her flying backwards several feet. She got up, brushed herself off, and ran for the enemy once more. She felt heat blasting against her face, and skidded to a stop mere feet away from the creature, which was now caught in some form of erupting volcano. She looked back towards Vincent, and found him standing in a vaguely attacking position, from which she guessed that he had been the caster of the spell that had just been used.

Sora had not had the good sense to retreat when it was necessary, and had gotten caught in the spell, causing him to be fairly severely burned. Seeing this, Kairi felt desperation welling up inside her. She had to do something to help him. Suddenly, it clicked. She knew she could do something to help him, so she pointed her Keyblade towards the skies, and began concentrating on the need to help her friends.

"You've got it." Kratos commented, seeing the girl's actions and the runes forming beneath her feet. "Now, just keep concentrating, and the spell should get cast."

Kairi nodded, trying to tune out the noises of the battle. _Swish!_ Many of Vincent's arrows just narrowly missed her head, whizzing harmlessly by her to hit the figure of The Judged. She could hear Sora's battle cries as he swung at the monster, and the sound of Keyblade meeting flesh that told her he was hitting the creature, despite being injured. She felt cold wind, and a few shards of ice pelting her face, and Sora and Kratos were simultaneously crying out in pain before colliding with the ground. Finally, she could feel the soothing energy flowing through her veins, and she focused her thoughts on Sora as she cast, "First Aid!"

"Thanks, Kairi!" Sora stated, jumping back to avoid a blast of light energy from the creature.

"You seem to be more of a healer." the auburn haired swordsman noted, looking back at the Princess of Heart. "See if you can channel those energies offensively as well. Light magic may not be particularly effective against this foe, but it should still do some damage."

The girl nodded, jumping back out of the line of fire, back towards the area where Vincent was charging up a new spell. Knowing now what she had to do, she pointed her Keyblade towards the skies as before, and felt energy coursing through her. Now, she wanted to harm, rather than heal, and her light was fueling her spell. "Light, give me strength. Photon!"

She opened her eyes to see the creature becoming encased in a seal of light, which then exploded outward at the exact same moment that Kratos stabbed it and a bolt of lightning came from the heavens. Vincent's spell completed shortly afterward, and a massive geyser shot up beneath the enemy. Sora, deciding to help with magic, aided with some sharp winds to buffet it.

Kairi widened her eyes, and Kratos gave her a meaningful look. She nodded, and Kratos charged the enemy, surrounded by the light seal of Photon before the enemy was blasted behind him with both lightning and light as Kratos called out, "Plasma Blade!"

Beneath this blast of absolute power, the fiend literally exploded, knocking them all back several feet before it vanished from existance forever. As soon as they all got to their feet, the relief from having finished the battle hit, and Sora did a little victory dance as Vincent and Kratos rolled their eyes and stowed their weapons. Kairi herself smiled and laughed a little bit as she released her Keyblade.

"So how was _that_?" she asked happily, looking towards Sora and the others.

"We should get moving. We still have one other of these fiends already awakened that we must face, and lest you forget, one of your friends is still trapped in the Derris Emblem." the angel stated curtly.

"Aw man. We have to go get Riku!" Sora whined, slumping over. "And once we get him free, that'll mean we have to fight another of those things, right? Man…"

"What do _you_ suggest we do, Kairi? Should we go rescue Riku from the Derris Emblem trap? Or should we go ahead and face the other of these creatures we've already awakened?" Vincent asked. "You usually seem to have your heart and head in the right place about things like this. So, what should we do?"

The red haired girl considered the problem heavily for a moment. The longer Riku was in the Derris Emblem trap, the longer he listened to it demoralizing him. But, then again, he had the good sense now not to listen to a thing like that after what had happened last time. Also, once he beat the trap, he would probably be strong enough to face the creature on his own. He wasn't much of a magic user, so the mana issue wouldn't bother him as much. Besides which, they would have to defeat that other monster anyway, so it was better to do it sooner than later.

"Let's go take care of that other thing first." Kairi stated after a long pause. "Riku's a good fighter, and he's strong-willed. He can handle this Derris Emblem thing on his own."

"Yeah." Sora agreed. "Riku never loses. He can beat that thing by himself."

Kratos looked a bit worried by the decision. "If you're certain…"

Vincent shrugged. "I can't say I care one way or the other, but I'm surprised you didn't insist on going to your friend's aid."

Kairi turned back to look at the raven haired man. "Riku will be fine. We just have to believe in him. We'll get to him once we defeat this other creature, okay?"

On that note, the group of four walked away from the prison cells in search of the monster of Sora's internalized fears.

.-.-.-.

Riku finally came to himself in a strange cell where his only view of the outside world was blocked by a line of mirrors. He stood, glancing around the room to search for an escape. When no readily apparent opportunities arose, he sighed, resigning himself to viewing his own fragmented reflection. That hideous wing, now coated in dried blood and viscera, still protruded from his left shoulder, a permanent reminder of whose blood ran through his veins. As if he needed another marker to show him as something other than human…

"Yes. That's right. You're not human."

The silver-haired teen started at the voice. No. It couldn't be. She couldn't be here now, she was still on the islands, unaware of what was going on. "Mom?"

He looked at the mirrors, but now, instead of himself, he saw an image of his mother looking coldly at him with her jade eyes, green locks tumbling down to her shoulders. She looked exactly as he had before he left the islands once again to go on this journey. His arm reached out towards her image.

"Mom, is that-? No. A fake." he asked, hesitantly at first, then cutting himself off with confidence. Logic would save him from falling into the obvious trap here.

"For all your claims of kind-heartedness, you would call your own mother a fake?" the image of Rydia asked, wounded to the point of tears. "How can you be so cruel? Or- well, I suppose that's a silly question, considering whose blood you carry. Like father, like son. Nothing ever changes."

"What?" the boy wondered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Mom, what're you talking about?"

"I hate you, Riku." Rydia sneered. "You know that? I've never once loved you. How can I, when every time I set eyes upon you, I'm forcibly reminded of _him_? Your father manipulated me, took me when I was half out of my mind, and I was forced to live with all the consequences. And every single day, the resemblance grows. There's nothing of me in you, his genetics are stamped all over again in yours. There is nothing, absolutely nothing that binds you to me. Not even a mother's supposed love."

"If you hated being burdened with those memories every time you looked at me," Riku began, his voice cracking as tears threatened to enter his eyes, "why did you even give _birth_ to me?"

Rydia laughed mirthlessly. "There wasn't any other choice. I couldn't just abandon you, and the islands didn't exactly have the tools on hand or the people necessary to abort you. And I wasn't about to risk my own health to be rid of you. Your birth, your conception, your very _existance_ was the result of a chance encounter, a one night stand. You never should have been conceived, much less _born_. Had you not been born, so many people would have been spared a lot of misery."

"She's right." a new voice added, an image of Kadaj appearing next to the image of Rydia. "Had you never existed, your friends would never have been placed in danger. The islands would never have been consumed in darkness. And your mother would never have been forced to suffer as she looked, day by day, at a child who was the mirror image of the man who took advantage of her."

"Disappear from this world. It's not like you were ever meant to exist anyway." Rydia stated, her voice now deadly calm. "Just die now, and let the rest of your friends go on with their lives as they were supposed to."

"B-but…" Riku muttered weakly, trying to find some reason to defend his existance. He couldn't think of anything, and what they said made sense… He was an accident. Something that was not supposed to happen. After a moment's pause, he finally found a reason for his life. "My friends… they-"

"They no longer trust you because of your blood." Kadaj cut him off. "Just as you knew they wouldn't from the moment you discovered the truth of your past. What do they care if you die now? You're just another potential traitor. No one cares if you live or die. So you may as well just end it here."

_No one cares…_ "My… my father, he…"

"You care about _his_ validation now?" Rydia asked, her voice rising hysterically. "You truly are lost. All you'll do now is place your comrades in danger. Just die. Now. Once you do, this nightmare will end."

Riku shook his head violently, clutching it with both his hands. "Shut up… You're not my mom, this isn't real, none of it is, just shut up already."

"I'm afraid this isn't just one of those bad dreams you can hide from, Riku." Kadaj sneered. "This is reality."

"Shut up. Just shut UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Riku shouted, summoning Way to the Dawn in his hands and smashing through the mirrors. He shattered the images, but continued on striking all of them, bashing every last shard which held his reflection, mocking him, reminding him of his legacy, that which condemned him, and from which he could not escape. Fatigued, he collapsed on the ground, trying desperately to recall that his friends would be coming for him soon. Soon, they would arrive, and help him, and he'd have his reason to continue fighting…

_Soon…_

.-.-.-.

Sora sighed as he led the group of four in approaching the representation of his innermost fears. He felt weak for having ever been affected by the illusions' words, but at the same time, he was ready to pummel this thing into a bloody pulp for trying to mess with his head.

_**I feed off the fear and selfishness that lives in the hearts of men.**_ a cavernous voice stated, booming across the barren city. _**Will you offer your selfishness to me?**_

"I will." Sora answered determinedly, drawing out his Keyblade.

_**Fall into the dark, pleasant sleep inside of me…**_ the creature invited, coming towards the group.

Sora, expecting a lull in the battle before it kicked into gear, was caught off guard as the creature slammed him with one of it's arms, sending him skidding back several feet before sucker-punching him with a Thunder Blade attack, which held him momentarily paralyzed. Vincent jumped backwards a few feet, and began charging up a spell to through at the enemy.

"Don't use Water or Thunder attacks." Kratos warned, looking back at the raven haired archer. "They won't work against this thing."

Vincent 'hmm'ed in acknowledgement, the runes beneath his feet changing shades from blue to pale blue in an instant. Kairi was standing next to him, he could hear her muttering softly to herself as she prepared a stronger healing spell to help Sora, who was now on his knees after having been struck by a light blast from the creature. Kratos, too, was preparing a spell, which left Sora as the only one doing any direct attacking. Even though he barely had the strength to move anymore, he ran for the enemy, prepared to throw all his being into this next melee attack. And then all hell broke lose.

He felt Kairi's healing spell seal all his wounds just as a whirlwind of ice surrounded the foe, buffeting it with wind and tearing into its flesh. Simultaneously, Kratos finished casting his spell, and the light of Judgement fell from the heavens, striking the foe multiple times. Feeling his strength renewed, Sora launched himself at the foe and thrust his Keyblade into the creature's apparent midsection. The creature crumpled around the blade for a moment, and Sora ripped the blade from it before clearing his mind to cast another spell. Heat flooded through him, and he released it in the form of three fireballs, which struck the enemy just as it was getting up. Seeing the opportunity, Vincent spammed the creature with his arrows, pausing after using about five from the quiver, not wanting to waste all his ammunition, as he wasn't sure where or how to restock. Kratos himself had resorted to ruthlessly slashing the creature where it stood, interrupting its focus to prevent any more spellcasting.

Kairi sighed, and closed her eyes again. She was going to help out with her magic this time, to get more practice. She started channeling her light offensively, as before, but found something different in this spell- it was more powerful, and much more based off of strength.

"Holy Lance!" she cast, sending four lances comprised of light to pierce the enemy before one massive one struck it from above, causing it to be blasted backwards a few feet.

Sora followed it mercilessly, and slashed right through the creature, appearing on its other side just as it fell to pieces on the ground. He smiled as he swung the Keyblade over his shoulders. "Too easy!"

Kratos smirked as he stowed his blade. "Heh. You remind me of someone I knew."

"Really? Who?" Sora wondered, his interest now piqued.

"…" Kratos hesitated in answering.

"Well, anyway, we should probably go and find Riku now…" Kairi stated, leading the way back towards the main area of Welgaia. Kratos was quick to catch up to her, and remind her that she didn't know the layout that well, so she fell back slightly as Kratos took the lead of the group. However, when they reached the central hub, they found the path towards Mithos's castle completely unblocked.

"Wait." the auburn haired angel stated, halting the group. "This pathway isn't opened unless all segments of the Derris Emblem seal have been deactivated. So why is it-?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sora asked, a smile on his face. "It means Riku beat his trap! We can go after Kadaj now!"

"Hmmmm…" Vincent muttered, a worried expression crossing his face. "Perhaps it would be best to wait for Riku to arrive, or go to where he is before trying to face Kadaj. We're likely to need his assistance."

"But the longer we wait here, the longer Kadaj gets to do whatever he's planning!" the spiky haired teen whined, pointing towards the portal. "Besides, Riku's probably gonna catch up with us later anyway. He'd figure Kadaj would be hiding wherever the largest warp panel goes. If he beat that thing, he's not in danger, so we don't need to worry about it."

"No, your companion is right." Kratos cut in. "I haven't faced this enemy, as you have, but I gather he is a very powerful entity. The more help we have, the more likely we are to emerge triumphant. Though… as I recall, the amount of space in the core area of Mithos's palace is rather small. Though eight or nine people could fit on it and have enough space, once actual fighting began, only five, including the enemy, could conceivably use the space to maneuver and fight."

"What do you think, Kairi?" Sora asked, looking at her. "Should we wait for Riku, look for him, or should we go on and face Kadaj?"

Kairi sighed. "Why do you always ask me about these things?"

The raven haired archer shrugged. "You have the purest heart. Your decisions are the most likely to be morally correct."

Kairi shook her head. "That may not make them the _right_ choices though… Don't make me the group's moral compass… (sigh) I… I believe in Riku. I trust him. He's always found his way to his friends before, and he'll find his way again. Kadaj seemed really mad the last time he faced Sora, Vincent, Riku and I, and given that Riku's the one who killed his 'brother' Yazoo, he's probably out for Riku's blood more than anyone else's. So… I think it's for the best if we go ahead and take care of him. Riku believes in us, and I believe in him. So… let's go fight Kadaj."

With no further protests, the group of four advanced for the central warp panel which would take them to Mithos's castle where Kadaj likely awaited them. They continued advancing forward, following Kratos's lead as he lead them to the true final warp panel, the one which would take them to Mithos's former throne room. From that point, there would be no turning back until the fight was over. So, after a moment of steeling themselves for the confrontation, they advanced onward beyond the point of no return.

.-.-.-.

Time passed. There was no way to divide it in this monotonous, stagnant, barren city. It could have been minutes, hours, even days, and Riku would not have known it. All he was conscious of was a growing feeling of despair. He had been fighting it off for a while now, but after waiting so long and not seeing a trace of his allies, it had finally slipped into his core.

They weren't coming for him.

He was alone.

They didn't care about him anymore.

His heart wanted to believe they would come for him, but his head knew that Kadaj was wily enough to make it look like he had passed the test. And faced with the choice, they would go for the course to save the most lives, thinking that _of course_ he could handle the thing on his own, he _never_ needed their help for _anything_. It wasn't a choice that he would have condemned them for- he knew going after Kadaj would save the most people. But nonetheless, he felt slighted at the fact that they didn't even bother to come _look_ for him.

But then again, from their point of view, he was their hero. He was _Riku_, and when did _Riku_ ever get beaten by _anything_? Right? He, the rival turned to darkness, had become their guiding light, the hero they placed on a pedestal, even as _children_, and now that pedestal was crumbling around him, and they were nowhere to be found.

They didn't trust him. They had made that perfectly clear on Radiant Garden. His friends didn't trust him, and now he was beginning to wonder if they ever had. Sora's dodginess when asked about Sephiroth had disturbed him at the time. Now he knew that Sora had known the truth- and was worried it would come out. He had told Kairi, and they knew, they had always known the truth of his origins. Cloud knew, Aerith knew, his _mother_ knew, _everybody_ knew the truth except the one person who truly needed to: himself.

He was alone. In the end, he was _always_ alone.

But he didn't have to be. In a time when the others were concerned about their little masquerade failing, concerned Riku would put the pieces together and figure out that they no longer trusted him, one man had shown him an act of kindness. Those morons didn't even _try_ escaping their imprisonment to come and resue him, and he had taken the whippings intended for them out of some harebrained thought that they might have actually cared for him and would have done the same thing in that position. In that time, his father had appeared and rescued him from his torture. In a random act of kindness perpetrated by sheer accident, his father had saved him, and had not killed him when he had the chance.

Riku struggled to his feet, flexing the viscera-covered wing on his back as he prepared to take to the skies.

He had his loyalty now.

.-.-.-.

Kadaj barely looked up to acknowledge the intruders as he heard the warp panel before him activate. He was sitting quite comfortably in Mithos's former throne, and he smirked as he said, "So, you've come. Like moths to the flame."

Sora rolled his eyes hearing the words that greeted them. "Kadaj, do you have any idea how clichéd that sounds? It's not even a _good_ line anymore."

"Does it look like I even remotely care?" the silver-haired antagonist asked flippantly as he stood up from his seat, scanning over the group. Riku wasn't there. Perfect. "What I'm more interested in knowing is why your other little friend isn't with you."

Sora, Kairi, and Vincent exchanged a nervous look, and Sora finally answered, "He's gonna catch up with us later. Besides, there's four of us here anyway. We'll kick your butt no problem!"

A corner of Kadaj's mouth twitched towards a larger smile before he resumed his smug glare. "I wonder… What makes you think he passed his test, and is soon to join you? What makes you think he didn't fail it?"

"Because Riku's not weak-hearted like you!" Kairi interjected, pointing an accusing finger at him. "He knows better than to give in to darkness for the sake of becoming stronger. He believes in us, and we believe in him. You're just a coward who clung to the first person's ideals you could after awakening."

"You're a puppet who can't even see his own strings!" Sora shot the words of his trap back at him. "Your 'Mother' hasn't ever been giving you orders, it's been Sephiroth all this time!"

"You've clung to what little of a past you can remember because you've forgotten the true events that occurred." Vincent stated evenly. "That is why you can never move forward."

"Your blind faith in whatever higher power has called you to do its bidding has led you to crave vengeance and fear a group of children. It is you who is pathetic." Kratos added, his tone cold.

"Lies!" Kadaj suddenly shouted, his face contorted with rage. "Lies, lies, all LIES! Brother has lost sight of his goals- he was never the one to control me, it was Mother guiding me all along. Mother would never allow a traitor like him to control anything, much less another of her children!"

"… Traitor?" Kratos asked, looking towards the others. They shook their heads. It was way too long of a story to get into details here.

"For… for so long now I've wondered why… Why she chose him to carry out her wishes… him, and not me…" the silver-haired villain muttered to himself, his voice breaking almost into a whimper. "And then… as I pondered it after my dear brother Yazoo's death… I realized it… The wings… The wings were the symbol of Mother's favor, they were what showed _he_ was her Chosen. The freedom to execute her adversaries, to carry out her will… And I knew I had to have them… And now I have that chance…"

He pulled a softly-glowing red orb out of his pocket, and held it grandly before the group of four. "With this gem, I will finally receive my birthright- my wings. And with the power it possesses, I shall finally rise above Brother in Mother's eyes. And then _I_ shall be the Chosen One. _I_ will be her favored son. And I will rid the world of all those who have turned traitor to Mother's legacy- beginning with all of _you_."

Kratos's eyes widened as Kadaj lowered the gem to his left hand. "No! Stop!"

"What's he doing? What _is_ that thing?" Sora wondered, looking back at the auburn-haired mercenary.

"That _thing_-" Kratos began, "would be a Cruxis Crystal. They were used by the former inhabitants of this place to become angels- sprouting wings, no longer requiring sustenance, sleep, and other things. They exceed the limits of a person's power by a large amount, and without Key Crests are highly unstable."

"Basic summary: we're in trouble?" the spiky haired teen asked, sapphire eyes wide.

"Basically." the swordsman answered calmly.

A bright flash later, Kadaj floated before them, ethereal wings of all colors extending from his back. There was a moment's pause as he drew out Souba, and then the fight began.

Vincent drew his bow and arrows and fired off a stream of arrows at Kadaj, some of which missed, but most of which hit the angelic swordsman, causing minimal damage as they bounced off of his leather-bound torso. Casting runes of white appeared beneath Kadaj's feet, and next second, Vincent, Sora, and Kratos were struck by randomly falling rays of light. Kairi leapt back to help out the offense, charging up a Holy Lance spell which hit Kadaj head on- and did no damage to him whatsoever.

"Angelic creatures cannot be harmed by spells of light!" Kratos warned as he used First Aid on Sora. "If you must attack, attack with swords or second level elemental magic!"

Kairi nodded, and charged towards Kadaj, Keyblade ready to slice him into bits. Vincent also nodded in understanding, and brown casting runes appeared beneath his feet. Sora, feeling much better after the healing spell, charged in for the offensive with Kairi and Kratos, only to get slashed by Kadaj's blade before he could even land a hit. Kairi's clumsy sword strike was easily deflected, but Kratos managed to land three consecutive hits, a thrusting attack dubbed Sonic Thrust, another thrusting maneuver followed by a lightning strike, followed by another blow of the exact same type, only stronger. Mere moments later, Vincent's spell reached it's peak and a massive stalagmite sprang from the earth, throwing Kadaj into the air before he landed, and teleported back towards Vincent. Vincent crouched defensively, a green force field appearing as Kadaj swept his blade towards Vincent for three wounding strikes, blocking each blow, but leaving him helpless as the swordsman threw a hand down to the ground, creating a blue shell of pure energy, blasting Vincent backwards. He righted himself just before hitting the ground, and landed gently on his feet, runes appearing for his next spell. Kairi and Sora, having finally spotted Kadaj after he teleported, charged towards him to double team him.

Once they were close enough, Kadaj turned to face them, and said, "Get away from me!"

Massive shockwaves rose from the ground where Kadaj stood, sending Sora and Kairi into the air and onto the ground. Just afterwards, Vincent's spell completed once more, and a massive geyser of water shot up beneath Kadaj, knocking him into the air, where he was easy prey for Vincent's arrows. The arrows struck their target, and as the silver haired opponent landed, a dark aura formed around him.

"Uh-oh…" Sora noted. "He's looking really, really mad now."

Kadaj teleported across the platform, and angel feathers began descending around him as he cast his next spell. "Gracious Mother, grant me your sacred light and eradicate these traitors before me! Judgement!"

Kratos used his own guardian technique just before the light of judgement could fall towards him, blocking most of the damage. Vincent, it seemed, was able to avoid grievous harm as well, but Sora and Kairi were hit by the spell's full strength. Vincent could no longer cast spells, nor use his special techniques with his bow and arrow, so he ran towards Kadaj for a direct attack. As soon as they recovered, Sora and Kairi ran forward as one, preparing to make a killing strike upon Kadaj. Kratos joined in the four pronged offensive as well, overlooking the fact that the dark aura remained around Kadaj, showing he was far beyond his ordinary limits. As soon as all four physical strikes made contact, the silver haired opponent smirked.

"We're not even close to being on the same level!" he taunted as chains of light encircled all four of his attackers, binding them in place. "SHINING BIND!"

A massive shockwave rose beneath the group of four, scattering them across the battlefield. As they struggled to even reach their knees, a dark aura simultaneously appeared around each of the four.

Kadaj laughed seeing them struggle to their feet. "You are pathetic! I expected more of a fight than this! Come now. Show me why it is that Brother fears you. Show me your true power!"

"As you wish, you arrogant piece of _slime_." Kairi shot back at him, runes of purest white appearing before her fight. "Light, be my sustenance, and destroy the enemy! SACRED SHINE!"

A warm, golden light engulfed the entire field, and Kadaj cried out in extreme pain as it pierced past the veneer of flesh into his Heartless core. As he landed, he found himself face-to-face with an infuriated Kratos as he raised his blade to his face. "Care for a taste of your own medicine? Struggle against these holy chains."

The swordsman squirmed back and forth against the holy chains encircling him, cutting into his flesh and holding him helpless as the mercenary finished his spell.

"SHINING BIND!" Kratos shouted, his wings revealed as a shockwave sent Kadaj flying in midair, where he was easy prey for Vincent's next maneuver.

"It's over." Vincent stated calmly before the air was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of arrows. "Arrow Maelstrom."

As the arrows rained from the sky and finally subsided, leaving Kadaj rather severely wounded, Sora stepped forward, Keyblade to his palms, a determined expression on his face, though his eyes were closed. "From the land of the living, I call upon thee in the land of the dead to unleash thy fury of thunder."

Kadaj's eyes grew wide at the Keyblade wielder's words. "What the heck is that?"

Sora opened his eyes, fire burning in sapphire as he gravely stated, "I'll show _you_ your _powerlessness_! INDIGNATION JUDGEMENT!"

The silver haired opponent shook his head as the lightning began to descend, and screamed, "It can't BE!"

Seconds afterward, lightning descended from the heavens, holding Kadaj utterly paralyzed as a massive sword pieced the ground right through him, and sent a shockwave through the surrounding area, causing him to collapse on his hands and knees.

Sora stowed his Keyblade, and approached Kadaj, defenses completely lowered. The silver haired enemy leapt to his feet, and ran for Sora, sword in hand, but ended up collapsing into Sora's arms. The teen locked down piteously at the man who was now fading into the darkness from whence he came. Kairi, Vincent, and Kratos ran over to the dying man, and watched over him in his final moments.

"I guess this is it for me... " Kadaj began, his voice growing weaker by the moment. "I've used all my being in trying to fight you... Yet I don't feel pain- nor exhaustion- I'm just fading. I suppose, not having a body, that's to be expected, right? Heh. All I wanted... was Mother's approval... But now, I guess, I just want dissolution. I want it over. I don't want this mockery of an existance anymore... But then, I guess the thoughts of a sham of a fake like me don't count for much, now do they...?"

"No. They don't." a much lower voice cut in. There was a flash of light off of cold steel, and a long blade pierced through the fading warrior's heart, narrowly missing Sora's arms where he held him.

Kadaj smiled lightly before his face completely faded into darkness which was drawn into the red gem upon his hand, which fell to the floor as his body dissolved completely. Sora pocketed the sphere, and stood up slowly to face the man he was certain now stood before him "Sephiroth…"

Kairi and Vincent's eyes grew wide, and Kratos drew his sword. Sephiroth chuckled at their reactions. "As if you could do anything to stop me. Please. I didn't even come here to fight you. I just came to track down my treacherous remnant, and end him before he could harm _my_ targets. But it seems you four beat me to the job."

Sora leapt backwards, and drew his Keyblade. "Yeah, well, he was gonna-!"

"Spare me the rant on his motives. What I want to know now is the location of my son. I would've believed him to be with you." Sephiroth commented.

Sora stared at the silver haired man determinedly. "He's-!"

"Right here." a new voice cut in, and the warp panel behind the group activated to reveal a bedraggled and much worse for wear Riku. He limped as he walked up the pathway cleared for him, but the sight which drew the most eyes was the silver-feathered wing protruding from his back, still utterly covered in dried blood and viscera.

The silver-haired teen's aquamarine eyes passed over the four faces on either side of him that now watched him intently. Vincent's face was torn somewhere between pity, fear, and disgust. Kratos kept his face composed, but the horror was evident in his eyes. Kairi looked somewhere between concerned and revolted, and Sora's face was a mixture of shock and horror. Now the wing upon his back was the stigma which marked him as his father's son, and Riku hated that his so-called friends were reacting so violently towards it. Not that it mattered. They had made his decision a long time ago.

"Come with me, Riku." Sephiroth invited, his voice surprisingly pleasant. "Come and join your father."

"No…" Sora muttered, forcing himself to speak. "Riku, no!"

Riku, now standing right before his father, turned his head back towards his former friend, refusing to look directly in his eyes. He couldn't. Not now. Not when the wound was so fresh. Not when he could lose his resolve. "Stop pretending you're sad. You made this choice for me. All of you."

And with those final words, Riku vanished through the same dark portal as his father.

.-.-.-.

As always, reviews are appreciated, flames are not. We are starting to approach the home stretch of the fanfic. Fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.


	15. Burning Down Innocence

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over the following content. All copyrights belong to Disney, Square Enix, etcetera.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Fourteen- Burning Down Innocence

Riku averted his eyes from the cheery, sunset colors of his childhood home, focusing instead on the ground ahead of him as he walked down the nostalgic streets. He was steeling himself for the confrontation he had known was coming for months- the moment where he would finally pull the truth from his mother's lips. After he discovered what had truly happened- Riku wasn't sure of what he would do when that moment came. Perhaps he could reign in his temper- perhaps not. Perhaps there would be no anger to reign in. He wasn't sure. His father had told him to come here- not as an order, but more as a parental request. It would do _so_ much for his peace of mind to finally get the words he longed to say to his mother out of his system, and from her, finally discover the truth in all this chaos which surrounded his origins. Before he was fully prepared for it, he found himself confronted with his old front door. It was, out of habit, left unlocked, and Riku opened it and walked in to find his mother laying down on the sofa in the foyer.

"Riku?" she asked almost hesitantly, her eyes instantly drawn, as most were now, to the now-cleaned silver wing protruding from her son's back. "Is that-?"

Riku forced himself to smile at her. No matter how angry he was, he needed to be civil- at least at first. "Yeah, Mom. I'm home."

Rydia studied her son closely for a moment. Aside from the wing, he appeared to be all right. After Sephiroth's little… _visit_… she had been worried the man would do something terrible to their child, but he seemed fairly unharmed. Never the less, she felt compelled to ask, "What happened to you?"

The silver-haired teen rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? My genetics are starting to really show through. Which reminds me- why didn't you tell me?"

The older woman sighed, brushing her emerald locks out of her eyes. Any other time, she would have played dumb, but now that she knew he knew the truth, the only purpose that would serve was to make him mad at her. "Do you mean to ask why I told you your father died?"

"_Yes_." Riku answered, his voicing rising in decibels and pitch. "Why didn't you tell me the truth? Why didn't you just say who my father was?"

"You wouldn't understand…" she muttered. "Even now, you're still too young to understand. Until you have children of your own, you won't understand…"

"_What_ wouldn't I undertand? You _lied_ to me, what else _is_ there to understand?" the teen shot back, aquamarine eyes blazing.

"Riku, it's true that I lied to you…" his mother began quietly. "But I did so in order to _protect_ you!"

"Protect me from _what_?" Riku sneered. "From the horrible truth that my mother was a weak-minded whore to a would-be god? From ridicule? From knowing the truth of my origins and being able to prevent something like _this_-" he gestured violently towards the wing, "from happening?"

"To protect you from _him_!" Rydia shouted back, her voice rising hysterically. "Riku, had I told you the truth, you would have sought him out! I was able to keep you a secret from him by making sure _you_ never thought of him. He didn't even realize you _existed_ until just recently, and it's fortunate that I was able to conceal you for _that_ long! You- you don't know what he's like… I can see how much he's affected you, just in these few months with you trying to fight against him… Your loyalties have changed, believe me, I noticed the moment you walked in this house. I… I can't even _bear_ to imagine what kind of _monstrosity_ he would have turned you into had he raised you for a year- or even a decade…"

"I'd say being raised a few years knowing the _truth_ would be better than an entire _lifetime_ founded on lies…" the teen muttered acidly. "And I know he's done horrible things, but he, too, spent his entire life with his origins shrouded in lies. His entire existance was the result of a mad scientist's flight of fancy, isn't that enough to make you sympathize? Besides which, he's not all bad… There's a side of him… A side which only _I_ have seen, a side which truly cares for my wellbeing…"

"Sephiroth could be quite good at affecting affection when he wanted to…" the older woman shot back. "Don't be fooled by it for an instant. He's using you to further his own twisted schemes, that's all it is. He doesn't care for people- he'll pretend to do so as long as it serves his purpose and as long as they can be used, but the moment you stop being useful to him, believe me, he will not have any qualms about killing you!"

There was a tense pause. Neither mother nor son knew what to say, but the look in Riku's eyes said it all. He wasn't going to listen to reason. He was too angry, too poisoned by his father's words to hear her out now. Rydia sighed, then set her face determinedly as she drew out the familiar coils of her whip. "Riku. I _refuse_ to let you become like him. And if at this point you are that far gone, I'm afraid I have no choice but to end you here."

At this, Riku laughed mirthlessly. "Ha! Please, Mother. As if you could possibly take me head on in a fight. You have nothing you can do. You have no power to stop me!"

The green haired woman cracked her whip against the floor. "I have more power than you reaize, Riku. All those who once lived in Mist are able to summon creatures called Eidolons. I suppose you never realy noticed, being somewhat of an outsider yourself, but though I raised you on these islands- they were not my original home."

And on that word, a massive Titan burst from the ground, towering over both Riku and Rydia. Riku took an involuntary step back, drawing out Way to the Dawn defensively. Rydia backed away towards the wall, thankful for once that the foyer had such high ceilings, as otherwise it would have burst through the roof of the house and attracted unwanted attention. Riku's expression had been one of complete shock, but he swiftly rearranged it to a determined set as the gigantic Eidolon moved as if to slam its fist into the ground and rend the ground asunder. Holding Way to the Dawn in an attacking position, he moved with inhuman speed upwards and across the Titan's torso, landing on the ground behind it. Mere moments later, the creature split in half behind him, and vanished into mist.

As the mist began dispersing from the room, Riku saw his mother collapsed against the wall. Clearly, her life force must have been linked to that particular being, and now that it was gone, she was soon to follow. He walked slowly over to his dying mother, and looked coldly down his nose at her.

"If a boy cannot trust his own mother, then who can he trust?" he asked rhetorically before slamming Way to the Dawn's blade into her abdomen. Rydia made a shocked noise, but it died even as it emerged from her throat- she didn't have the strength, nor the breath, to carry any final words. Riku pulled the blade slowly from the older woman's stomach, leaving her bleeding out on the floor. Just as he was about to walk out the front door, he answered his own question.

"No one."

.-.-.-.

Sora had been in something of a state of shock since the events of Derris-Kharlan. Kairi had been forced to pilot the Gummi Ship once it had been reassembled and forced to cooperate with the mana-filled atmosphere of the comet. There was only one place they could think to go after this turn of events- back to Radiant Garden. Vincent reasoned that Cloud and the others would, at this point, be ready to launch a full-scale offensive on Sephiroth's stronghold. In fact, they had been planning to do so before Sora had pulled his little runner, and Vincent suspected Cloud was not about to let anyone else leave when his own son's fate was still uncertain.

It was a long, silent flight, but when they arrived at Radiant Garden, they found a landing party which consisted of Cloud, Aerith, Cid, Yuffie, and Tifa waiting for them. Kairi landed the ship far enough away from them so they couldn't possibly be harmed, and stepped outside. Vincent followed her, and he was trailed, reluctantly, by Sora.

The moment Sora exited the ship, Cloud could tell something had gone terribly wrong. This lifeless, listless figure was not the son he remembered. Any other time, he would have read all three of them the riot act about trying to do something so foolish as fight Sephiroth when _he_ was the only one who could defeat them, but at the sight of his son in such a sad and frighteningly familiar state, all he could think to ask was, "What happened?"

Sora, though his father had his hands on his shoulders and was looking directly into his eyes, did not respond. Kairi looked almost helplessly back towards Vincent, who sighed. Cloud noticed the gesture, and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to hear. If Vincent was being turned to, it was clearly because no one wanted to be the harbinger of truly terrible news.

"Sora led an attempt with us to storm Sephiroth's stronghold." Vincent explained quietly. "En route, we ended up on a collision course with a comet whose energy signals interfered with the Gummi Ship's, which had once been bound by magic to a distant world. When we crashed, we were separated. Kairi met the lone inhabitant, and proceeded to rescue Sora and myself from traps designed to be tests of character. As it turned out, Kadaj had taken up residence on that comet as well to find a way to rise above Sephiroth, and we were forced into combat. The trap was only supposed to deactivate when all three traps were surpassed by those facing them. But Kadaj tricked us. He deactivated the trap, forcing us to assume Riku had defeated his test of character, when, in fact, it is likely he failed. Upon Kairi's advice, we advanced and fought Kadaj, who was eventually killed by Sephiroth himself… And shortly after Kadaj's death…"

Hesitancy from Vincent was never a good thing. His voice had been fairly level throughout the narrative, almost as if he was back in the Turks and giving a mission report to a higher-up. But his voice almost broke as he reached the last sentence, as if he wasn't sure whether to continue speaking or not.

"Riku… um… he, well…" the Princess of Heart stuttered for several moments, trying to bring herself to admit what had happened.

Vincent, it seemed, had finally steeled himself for the worst of the information, and calmly stated, "Riku appeared behind us, and appeared to be incredibly angry with us for having supposedly abandoned him, though there was no way we could have known he was still in danger. And he left with Sephiroth. We can only assume that now his loyalties have shifted towards his father and against us."

Aerith and Tifa gasped, and Yuffie looked dumbstruck. Cid's face settled into a hard line. Though Cloud's face was carefully kept blank, Vincent swore he could almost see triumph in the man's eyes. Almost as if he took some sort of vindictive pleasure in what had occurred. To be honest, he could practically hear the words 'I told you so' echoing in everyone's minds.

But, thinking better of being immature, Cloud turned his eyes back to his son. "I warned you about getting mixed up with Sephiroth. He messes with people's heads, and I guess Riku just wasn't strong enough to-"

"Don't put the blame all on him." Kairi cut in. "We had our own hand in this… And that's why Sora's so completely helpless right now. Aside from the fact that he just lost his best friend to darkness again, this time he feels he did something to help cause it to happen."

"How?" Cloud asked angrily. "How is any of this not Sephiroth's or Riku's own fault?"

"She's not eschewing Riku entirely from blame." Vincent qualified. "But she does speak the truth when she claims we all had our own hand in this…"

Kairi nodded. "We… we could've gone after him in Derris-Kharlan, when he was stuck in that trap… I think that was when he finally decided we didn't care was when we ignored him to deal with Kadaj… It was my decision for us to fight Sora and Vincent's tests first before freeing Riku, and it was my idea to go ahead and face Kadaj… So I'm somewhat to blame…"

"You remember that little meeting you insisted upon calling the _last_ time we were here, Cloud?" the raven haired gunman asked, his tone nothing short of accusatory. "What if he overheard us? What kind of impression of our trust in him do you think that would give? And you, Cloud, from day one, have been nothing short of hateful towards him. You made it painfully obvious that you didn't trust him, and what hope does he have of his best friend believing in him when said best friend's _father_ doesn't want him around?"

Aerith sighed. "I suppose I had my hand in this as well… After Riku found out the truth, I had a little discussion with Sora about the possibility of Riku doing… well, just this… He could have overheard us speaking…"

"Maybe." Cloud cut in curtly. "But that does not excuse his actions. I cannot speak for myself, but I know none of you ever felt any animosity towards the boy, and it was his own erroneous interpretations that led him to his decision. That being said, does anyone have any ideas where he could be _now_?"

"The islands." Sora answered, drawing several stares. This had been the first time he'd spoken in several hours. "He wanted to talk with his mom. He's on the islands."

He walked back to the Gummi Ship. "I'm going. Alone. Don't try to stop me."

And before anyone could think to move, Sora stepped into the Gummi Ship, and took off for his homeworld.

.-.-.-.

Blood. It was everywhere. Pooling on the streets, dripping from Way to the Dawn, staining his clothes, falling from the injuries he had sustained. Fire was consuming everything in sight, and his vision swam from the heat. This- the total destruction of all he had once held dear- had not been his intention. But upon hearing his mother's final words, Riku had entered a state of rage so intense he could hardly remember what events had occurred. Even when flashes of awareness came to him, they were jumbled, out of order. And, strangely, distant. Almost as if it hadn't been him, but some other persona. Yet his actions were not the will of another. They were his own, and he could feel that in his heart.

They were coming back for another fight. Three combatants. They wanted to ambush him. Familiar- faces he had seen in childhood. Perhaps fighting before, in sport, on the islet? Ah, yes, he knew these three. Short, blond hair. Blitzball player. Had wielded a staff in youth, now holding a water-themed blade. Tanned skin, red hair. Another blitz player, using the blitzball as his only weapon. Please. As if sports equipment could possibly save him. A girl. Short, brown hair, wide, innocent eyes and demeanor. Nunchakus were her weapon of choice, but she hardly possessed the skill to work with them. Betrayal on all three of their faces, exhaustion clear in all of their bodies. Riku hadn't even shown his full potential to them as of yet. Pathetic. Truly pathetic.

There was a moment's staredown, and sword met Way to the Dawn. Blitzball got sent on a collision course for wing, but was met by a foot, sending it back from whence it came, concussing its thrower. Keyblade threw the sword wielder back several feet, and nunchaku swung in for an attack, succeeding only in getting itself tangled around Way to the Dawn. Riku tossed the blade aside, dissipating it and calling it back once more to his hands, leaving the nunchakus far beyond the girl's reach. Angelic-shaped steel was covered in blood once more as Keyblade penetrated sternum and was withdrawn, leaving the girl collapsed dead behind him. The blitzball-wielder was as good as dead anyway. He would be dealt with in a more permanent manner soon enough. Two down, one remaining. Blond haired teen charged for silver haired teen, and swordsmanship rendered even more shoddy by passion was no match for cold skill. His blade was tossed aside, and a massive gash across the neck rendered him lifeless. A close-range Dark Aura blasted the unconscious blitz player's head off the face of the earth.

And then there was silence.

No more screams. No more running. No more cursing his name with dying breaths. Save for the crackling and roaring of the untamed flames, it was quiet. In a way, almost peaceful.

But not for long.

Riku knew he couldn't remain here for long. Sora would doubtless be coming after him very soon, and when he did- The fight would be brutal. But, at this point, the silver-haired teen almost didn't care. He used a dark portal to transport himself to the islet where he and his so-called friends had once idled away their childhood. Sora's mother was dead, all his friends were dead, this truly was pointless save for the irony. But he wanted to do it anyway.

He didn't want there to be any reminders left of how things used to be. Nothing he could remember, nothing he could go back to.

Nothing he could regret.

The teen raised his hands, and set the islet's structures aflame.

As the ravenous flames consumed wood and oxygen, Riku almost smirked to himself.

_Ever since we've known each other, we've always been rivals._ he mused, watching as the towering inferno spread towards the paopu trees. _Rivals in combat, rivals in love. It's as if we were always meant to turn on one another in the end. You never wanted to face that fact, but these hands of mine have been dirty for a long time now, Sora. Your coming to face me today doesn't matter at all. Hell, I __**welcome**__ it, even. I mean, of course, you and I __**are**__ friends…_

And as the islands burned around him, a powerful rush of adrenaline at having severed nearly all ties to his past overwhelmed him, and he threw back his head and laughed.

.-.-.-.

Sora ran through the flames of his childhood home, smoke and sobbing making his breath catch in his chest. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. It couldn't be him. He wouldn't, he _couldn't_ have done something like this! Surely Tidus had seen wrongly when they fought. He rounded a corner, and was confronted with his worst nightmare. There before him stood the silver haired one he had once admired. Once a hero, now a demon with blood dripping off the end of his blade.

"My parents…" he muttered, barely audible over the roar of the fire. "My friends… this place… Why? Why?"

Riku smirked. His target had finally arrived. "I am doing what I must. These traitors deserved their fate."

Sora's mouth fell open in shock. "That's insane! You're not- you're not the person I once knew!"

"Oh aren't I?" his opponent asked sardonically before raising his blade to attack.

He blocked the attack just in time. "Stop! You can't do this!"

Those turquoise eyes, once so familiar, now burned with rage. Rage and insanity. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do. I finally understand now- just how much you've betrayed me, you traitor!"

The blade came for him again, this time managing to slice into his arm. He felt a fist collide with his ribs, and fell roughly to the ground. He looked up, and saw the silver figure above him, blade held high in preparation for a killing blow. "Please…" the boy begged, "don't do this…"

Riku remained silent, and lowered Way to the Dawn for the final strike.

Sora sat silently, and waited for death to come. There wasn't any point to this anymore. No matter how twisted he had become, this was still _Riku,_ and he couldn't bring himself to fight to kill his best friend. If this was how things were going to be, then so be it. He didn't want to have to fight. He had already lost everything, so what was even the point in trying?

There was a loud _clang_ of metal on metal, and Way to the Dawn's deadly arc was interrupted by a familiar flowery Keyblade.

Riku's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but returned to normal a moment later. Almost amiably, he commented, "Excuse me, _Princess_, but you're in my way."

"That would be the general idea." the red-haired Keyblade-wielder shot back, pushing Riku's blade aside. She met no resistance, and Riku glared at her.

"You've got a lot of guts coming here and trying to face me. I thought my desertion on Derris-Kharlan would have merited at least a few days of crocodile tears." the silver-haired teen sneered.

"Oh there were tears, Riku, believe me!" Kairi shouted back, the aforementioned salt water beginning to sting at her eyes once more. "How could you, Riku? How could you do this to us? To your own _mother_?"

"How could _I_?" the teen asked incredulously. "How could _they_ feign ignorance of my origins, the whole time knowing the truth, and never once telling me? How could _you_ bring yourself to keep that masquerade up for nearly two decades, Your Royal Pureness?"

"I didn't know." the girl answered simply. "Neither did Sora. And neither did all those innocent people back home. I followed Sora in another Gummi Ship. I wasn't about to let him waltz into this kind of danger. Cloud figured something like this would happen, and I'm glad I trusted his judgement. You're not the Riku I once knew, the same boy I once- Look. Point is, I'm here. And I'm telling you to leave. Sora. Alone."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Kairi. As if you have even the slightest chance of beating me in a one on one fight."

Kairi gripped her Keyblade determinedly, and charged for Riku, letting out a battle cry as she did so. Wrath of the Earth met Way to the Dawn in a heavy blow which staggered them both, but after a moment's pause, Riku easily pulled Kairi's Keyblade from her hands. A backhanded slap swiftly followed, and Kairi found herself on the sandy ground, clutching her cheek and holding back tears.

Sora's head jerked up at this sight. He had been sitting, helpless, on the ground as the two had spoken. But now, seeing Kairi injured he felt a new wave of resolve hit him. No one harmed his loved ones and got away with it. He didn't even have the strength to summon the Keyblade, but he had strength enough for this. He ran for Riku, pulling his fist back for a powerful punch- and found his fist intercepted by Riku's own gloved hand. Using the opportunity, Riku angled Way to the Dawn, and made one final movement.

Kairi couldn't believe the images her eyes were sending her. One minute Sora was on the offensive, and two seconds later, she could see the wing of Way to the Dawn through Sora's back. Another blink later, the boy was flung to the ground, still conscious, but barely breathing, bleeding out on the ground. Gritty sand was working its way into his wounds, agitating them, and Riku was staring coldly down at him, almost as if he was considering another strike to make sure the job was finished.

"NO!" she screamed, scrambling to her feet, and launching herself at the silver haired teen, tackling him to the ground, keeping him from moving.

Riku struggled for a moment, but finally flung the girl's body weight off of him, kicking her in the shins- hard- for good measure. She cried out in pain, and as Riku dusted himself off, he commented, "I liked you better when you were just a damsel in distress."

He walked back over to Sora's struggling body, and prepared once more to make a killing blow.

"Wait!" Kairi halted, struggling back to her feet. "What if… what if I let you keep me prisoner? Would you leave Sora alone then?"

Riku eyed her suspiciously. "Why should I believe you would honestly offer such a thing? I would've expected a fight to the death from you."

"I don't care if I die, but I can't watch Sora die, I just can't! Please, just leave him alone. Let him live. I'll do anything…" Kairi whimpered. She had been so strong, but now, faced with the very real possibility that she could lose the boy she loved, she couldn't keep fighting.

A silver eyebrow raised. "Anything?"

Kairi's stomach dropped several inches at Riku's tone, but she nodded all the same. "Yes… anything… Just don't kill Sora…"

Sora's vision blurred as he saw Kairi take Riku's hand and vanish through a dark portal with him. All he could think before he lost consciousness was:

_No… Please, don't take Kairi from me too-!_

.-.-.-.

And that's in for this chapter. Fairly dramatic, and, as said previously, we are approaching the home stretch. One more trip to Radiant Garden, and then we storm Sephiroth's fortress. But this story will not end here. There are plans for a sequel, a continuation. So please, after this is over, stick around! There's more to come.


	16. Always A Step Behind

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over the following content- all copyrights belong to their respective copyright owners. Got that, lawyers?

.-.-.-.

Chapter Fifteen- Always A Step Behind

Voices. Vague, muffled voices. He could hear them now where there had been silence before.

This surface beneath him was soft- feathery, not like where he had last laid down. Gritty. Salty. Familiar. Agonizing.

He could feel the muscles in his face twitch, and opened his eyes. His vision cleared after a moment, and he saw Aerith looking down at him concernedly.

"Cloud, I think he's waking up!" Aerith called, her head turned over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sora, you'll be okay."

Sora forced himself to sit upright, feeling a strange stiffness in his side. Earlier there had likely been pain, but the injury was now mostly healed, and he could move for the moment.

A familiar set of blue eyes locked on to Sora's own, and he found himself gazing back at Cloud's face. There were slight bags under his eyes. Odd. Had he lost sleep?

"You okay, Sora?" the older man asked, looking concernedly at his child.

The spiky haired teen nodded. "I… I think so… Wait. Where's Kairi?"

Cloud and Aerith exchanged a nervous glance. Aerith sighed, and said, "Her ship was still on the islands, but she wasn't. We saw the devastation, so we know what happened. She probably got captured by Riku, and is being held prisoner at this point."

Sora slumped. So seeing Kairi take Riku's hand hadn't just been a bad dream. None of it had. The islands- the only home he had ever known- were gone forever. Everyone was dead. Aloud, he wondered, "How long have I been out?"

"At least a day and a half." Cloud commented. "And don't you even think about trying to leave here. We're going to face Sephiroth within the hour, but you and Aerith are going to be staying here."

Both caretaker and charge let out noises of protest upon hearing those words, but were swiftly silenced by a stern glare from the older man. Vincent walked into the room, blocking Cloud's path to exit the room.

"Cloud, you can't honestly expect to exclude them from this. Sora's as stubborn as you are, and Aerith's not one for sitting back while others take care of everything for her." the raven haired gunman noted, his tone perfectly even. "Let them come along. Besides which, Sora now has his own issues to settle with Riku, and I'm sure he'd rather be the one who goes for the confrontation than someone who may well kill him first and ask questions later."

"Yes, well, the only reason this whole situation escalated so badly was because _you_ didn't stop Sora from leaving this world. Had you all not landed on that accursed comet, none of this would ever have happened!" Cloud shot back. "Now let me through."

"All _you_ told me to do was to keep tabs on the boy. And it's not as if that was any of our intentions. Besides which, this would have occurred eventually, given the proper stimulus. You sought the boy's help from day one, and now you're turning around and saying he has no stake in this journey? Please, Cloud, grow up and let go of your petty little pride in your blood feud and listen to reason, for once, and let the boy come along. He's as much involved in this whole mess as you are. And as to Aerith, yes, Sephiroth did almost kill her once, but she has grown stronger since then, and she is willing to face that past." Vincent answered, his calm demeanor beginning to slip as his speech went on. "If they want to come along, they're coming- their minds are immutable. And my final word on the matter is if you won't allow them to come along, I will bring them with us. You can't keep excluding them from fights for being women and children. So they. Are. Coming ."

Sapphire and ruby eyes met in a glaring contest, a battle of wills. A few seconds later, a small sigh escaped Cloud's mouth, a clear sign of concession. "Fine."

Vincent, satisfied, stood aside, and let Cloud walk out the door. Sora stood up, still clutching his injured side slightly, and walked out, followed by Aerith, who was in turn followed by Vincent. As Sora approached the familiar shape of his Gummi Ship with Vincent close behind him, he felt a surge of detrmination empowering him, ridding him of his physical pain.

_This is the last fight… Riku, Kairi, I swear I'll save you guys. And then we can get things back to normal again, and everything will be fine!_ Sora thought to himself, forcing the corners of his mouth upward into a shoddy imitation of his normal smile.

Though he had to believe, had to have faith that everything would be fine in the end, he couldn't help but feel a nagging in the pit of his stomach that told him this experience would leave everything he ever knew and loved forever changed for the worse…

.-.-.-.

Kairi shivered in her current prison, folding her arms over her shoulders and curling up to keep warm. As far as places to be captured went, her current location wasn't so much a dungeon as it was practically a five-star hotel room- from which there was no escape. She knew she was in one of the rooms which once belonged to a member of Organization XIII which had been re-done, apparently specifically for her arrival on the world.

_Charming._ she thought to herself acerbically, looking down at the plushy, inviting bed sheathed in bright red satin sheets. _I have to get the name of Sephiroth's interior decorator…_

The room in which she was imprisoned was very luxurious- the only thing that hinted it was still a prison was the bars on all the doors and windows. She had tried using the Keyblade on the door, but the lock wouldn't respond, and the bars would give in to pounding. So she resigned herself to staying in her current location until she could think up a decent escape plan.

She had come along to spare Sora's life, but now that he was out of immediate danger, she had no intention of remaining trapped on this godforsaken world any longer than was absolutely necessary.

She heard the bars to her room swinging open and closed, and soon found herself face to face with the boy she had once known as her best friend.

"Riku…" she muttered, trying her best to make it sound like a curse. "What're you doing here?"

The silver haired teen smirked lightly, something she had seen him do often on the islands, but this expression was not pleasant at all. "I just wanted to see how Her Pureness was taking to her accommodations."

"Aside from being trapped in this barren world with my best friend turned worst enemy, fairly well, thanks." Kairi retorted, turning her back on the boy. "Please, just leave me alone."

A shudder ran all across her body as a new wave of both cold and revulsion hit her simultaneously. She couldn't stand being in here, she had to get out.

"What's the matter, Princess? Are you cold?" Riku asked, almost mock amiably. Kairi heard footsteps approaching her, and soon felt unwelcome, unwanted arms around her as Riku's chest pressed against her back. "Perhaps I can… warm you up…"

Kairi squirmed out of Riku's arms, and spat, "You're disgusting!"

Riku grabbed her by her wrists, and pulled her closer to him, forcing her hands on top of his shoulders before placing his own hands behind her back and dragging her even closer to him. "You know, I might have stood aside for you and Sora, but I never really forgot how I felt about you… Even though you've thrown your lot in with him as a traitor, I don't want to have to kill you. You want Sora to be safe, I want you. I should think what happens from here would be obvious. In time, you'll come to love me."

The Princess of Heart narrowed her sapphire eyes as she glared directly into Riku's twisted, insane aquamarine ones. "I will _never_ succumb to you!"

Riku's own eyes narrowed. "When did I ever give you the impression that it was a request?"

And before Kairi could react, before she could even scream, Riku's lips pressed roughly against her own. She fought, she tried to bite his lips, she squirmed. His tongue slid into her mouth, and, try as she might, she couldn't fight him off. She couldn't get him to stop kissing her until, finally, after several moments, he pulled away.

What made this worst of all was not the fact that this had once been her dear friend. It wasn't the fact that he had stolen her first kiss from her. What was the worst thing about this whole scenario was that her heart had started pounding, and her face had flushed. She didn't want this, she knew she didn't want things to go where they had, and certainly not any farther, but her body was screaming otherwise.

She saw a faint flush in Riku's own face, saw his hitched breathing. And then she remembered seeing him sliding the cell door keys into his back pocket. There was a way she could get out of here- and all she'd need to do is keep him distracted. She might have had an utterly pure heart, but she was still a girl, and though she rarely used her feminine wiles to get her way, she knew how she could use them to her advantage now.

She was starting to breathe heavier herself, and it lent her voice an interestingly airy tone as she murmured, "Riku, I… I've never really told anyone this, but I've always found you _so_ attractive… I mean, you're so… ethereal… not at all like all those other boys on the islands were…"

She had to avoid letting her voice break on that last line. There would be time enough for tears for the dead later. _C'mon, Riku, I know you want to. Take the bait!_

"I always figured you were a princess, even before I knew you were." Riku whispered back, placing a hand gently beneath her chin. The gesture that would have been sure to make her knees weak were Riku not insane instead made her repress a shudder. "You were too pretty to be just a normal girl. Too full of light."

Her trap was working. Not only was he less aggressive this time, but he was completely distracted. His lips met hers again, and Kairi, groaning internally, forced herself to participate as she let her hands roam slowly down Riku's back, towards his pockets. Riku was doing much the same thing to her, and her muscles tensed as she felt his hand cupping her thigh.

_Almost… got it…_ she thought to herself as she reached down into the rear pants pocket where the keys to her cell surely were.

Barely had she grasped the keys when she found herself several feet away from Riku, nothing left in her hands.

"Nice try." Riku taunted, jangling the set of keys before her very eyes. "Pretty clever, thinking to take advantage of my distraction. I had a feeling you'd do something like that. So I played along. But you- you are still going to pay for trying a stunt like that with me. I was going to be gentle, but at this point, it's rather pointless."

Kairi's stomach dropped several inches, and her panic reflex started kicking in. She had to get out, but there was no way she _could_ get out. Riku was advancing for her- and then he wasn't. He paused, sighed, and said, "You're in luck, Princess. It seems your gallant knight has come to rescue you. I need to go deal with the traitor's intrusion. It would do me so much good if you could just stay here until I get back."

And he vanished in a puff of silver plumage.

Kairi sighed, plopping on the floor. It seemed that, once again, she would be relegated to the role of damsel in distress until Sora or some of the others could arrive. The keys were all that would open the door. Without them, what did she have? She looked down at the floor, defeated, and her eyes were drawn to the feathers on the floor. It was crazy unlikely to work, but at this point, she was desperate.

She picked up one of the feathers- which were surprisingly very soft- and placed its hard edge inside the lock. She jiggled it around for a few moments and was about to give up when she heard a soft _click_ which told her the lock had been disengaged.

She pushed open the cell doors, looked around for a moment, and started running to find her way through those endless halls.

_Hold on, Sora. I'm coming for you!_

.-.-.-.

Sora led the way through the dark and perpetually rainy streets of the World That Never Was, pausing in his tracks when he reached the city block which contained the large skyscraper. Kingdom Hearts still glowed eerily in midair, red around the edges now, which the hole seeming almost more jagged than it had been before. He couldn't hear Cloud, or Vincent, or anyone behind him. He turned and looked, and saw that they had vanished.

"You're here alone, Sora." a very familiar voice called. Mere seconds later, Riku appeared before him in a puff of silver plumage. "The others? I routed them through another district by blocking their paths here. It will take them longer to get to my father's stronghold, and there is no chance of any interference this time."

Riku called Way to the Dawn to his hands, and began pacing predatorily around Sora, a habit he'd rather picked up from his father. Sora summoned Oathkeeper to his hands, and held it out in an attack position, circling Riku as well.

"Riku…" Sora stated, his voice flat. He was still so torn up inside about trying to fight his best friend, but what other choice did he have? "I'm only gonna ask once. Where's Kairi?"

Riku searched in his pocket for something, and threw an object that glinted silver in midair towards him. Sora caught it, and recognized it as the necklace Kairi always wore. His deep blue eyes narrowed. "What did you do to her?"

The silver haired teen smirked, chuckling to himself. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know…"

"What did you _do_ to her? What happened to Kairi? Where is she?" Sora shouted, starting to lose his grip on his temper.

The son of the one-winged angel kept on smirking, and he casually replied, "She's on this world. And she's fine, physically. Better than ever, actually… Satisfied in ways I'm sure she never imagined…"

Sora stopped pacing around his former friend. "What're you talking about?"

"Oh she fought it at first, believe me." Riku stated, continuing his maddening circling. "Right little tiger, that one. But she gave in. She gave in, and by the time it was over, she was begging for more."

The teen's eyes widened. No… surely Riku couldn't mean he… "What did you _do_ to her? You- you didn't- you couldn't have-?"

The smirk grew even wider, revealing pearly white teeth. "Yes. I did. I took her, used her- and I corrupted her. It's rather hard to continue being a Princess of Heart when you no longer have any claims to your _purity_, now isn't it?"

As the silver haired teen laughed, Sora felt the rage beginning to bubble to a boil in his veins. Riku killing everyone on the islands was horrible enough, but- to do _that_ to someone they had both known since childhood was beyond sick. Not to mention that fact that it was supposed to be _him_ who got the girl in the end. Seeing everyone dead had been shocking- so much so that he couldn't really fight. But _this_- this was just really ticking him off.

"You BASTARD!" Sora screamed, charging for Riku with Oathkeeper. The slashing move was easily blocked by Way to the Dawn.

"You wanna know how she screamed?" Riku asked mockingly. "How she screamed and panted and _begged_ for me?"

With an incoherent cry of rage, Sora threw Riku back several feet, and charged the teen, making several wildly slashing strikes which were blocked with ease. Sora ducked underneath Riku's easily predictable move to decaptitate him, only to be met with Riku's fist colliding with his ribs, sending him sprawling to the ground, forcing him to drop the Keyblade.

As Sora struggled to get up, Riku picked up the Oathkeeper. "Huh. Ironic that you use this sword to fight me. I guess it's really too bad she doesn't want you anymore- the boy who promised to save her, but then just let her go. You're pathetic, you know that?"

"Don't… call me… pathetic…" Sora panted as he stood up.

Riku could almost see the darkness rolling off of him. He was one insult below the belt away from losing control. He tossed the Oathkeeper aside like so much trash, and said, "Why shouldn't I? You are pathetic, Sora. A puppet, as usual. But then again, when a whore and a puppet conceive, what can one expect but yet another tool?"

"Quit… PATRONIZING ME!" Sora screamed. And the darkness writhing within his heart burst to the surface.

Riku smirked to himself as a wave of purest black engulfed the Keyblade wielder. This fight was as good as over. Before the blackness fully faded, before the transformation was complete, Riku charged for where the Antiform was coming out of the confines of its host's mind, and swept Way to the Dawn through the seething shadows. Surprised when he met resistance, Riku looked quizically at the creature, finding its palms pressed hard against the Keyblade, one of which against its blade. It appeared to be in extreme pain, but the pain was nothing compared to, and if anything, fueled, the hatred burning within it. It lurched backwards, dislodging the blade from its hands, and feinted around to Riku's back, only to find its efforts met with the blunt side of Way to the Dawn crashing into its ribs. Ignoring the searing, burning pain the contact with a Keyblade was causing it, it shoved itself through the blade and proceeded to stick its hand through Riku's chest- or rather, where it would have been had the teen not teleported directly behind Antiform and swept the blade across its back.

There was another frustrating flash of silver plumage, and Riku stood upon the roof of the skyscraper which towered above Anitform. "If you really want to fight me, Sora, why don't you try to come up and get me?"

Anti-Sora snarled its displeasure, and used its claw-like fingers to aid it in scrambling ferally up the front of the skyscraper. When it reached the top, it was able to lay several scratch wounds into Riku's face before the boy stabbed it once more through the stomach- almost where Sora had been stabbed a mere day or so ago on the islands. It let out a pathetic gurgling noise, and its attempt at a threatening snarl died in its throat.

Those lucid, yellow eyes were beginning to return to their usual blue, and Riku laughed once more. "You're nothing short of pitiful, Sora. You realize that? You couldn't save your friends, couldn't save the islands, and in trying to take me out, you turned to the very darkness you claim to so hate! I thought you didn't believe in killing for vengeance, Sora! If you had ended me now, ended me as you are now, you would be no better than that darkness which you so despise. So, in the name of your own hypocrisy, do the worlds a favor and DIE!"

With those words, Riku kicked the darkness-and-blood losing mingle of Sora and his Antiform off of his Keyblade, watching as he fell towards the pavement. Even if Sora had managed to survive the wounds he inflicted, there was no way he was surviving that fall.

As the darkness receded back into his heart, Sora sighed, feeling the air blowing swiftly past him. Riku was right… He was, in the end, just a hypocrite…

And as suddenly as the thought entered his head, a new one jarred it out of the way. _No. Riku's __**wrong**_._This fight wasn't just about vengeance- if he's thrown in his lot with his father, he has to be stopped for the good of the worlds! And aside from that, he's done horrible things in his own right! Even without the alliance to his father, he needs to be stopped before he hurts anyone else!_

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Cruxis Crystal Kadaj had been using to amplify his powers on Derris-Kharlan. He placed it over his heart, and thought, _Okay… this either works now or never… That pavement's coming up really fast…_

He braced himself for an impact with the pavement that never came. Sora opened his eyes once more, and righted himself in midair. He looked upon his back, and saw a pair of bright blue ethereal wings sprouting from it. Riku had likely let his defenses down now, presuming Sora to be dead. The spiky haired teen felt another surge of determination, and used the new appendages to fly up the side of the skyscraper.

"Hey, Riku!" he shouted, causing the teen to turn around and exclaim in surprise. "You forgot about one little thing in your lecture-" he summoned Oathkeeper to his hands. "I'm not like _you_. This isn't just about vengeance. It's about the greater _good_."

Riku used his one lone wing to raise off the ground until he was slightly above Sora. "Oh, and I'm sure it was for your _greater good_ that you _abandoned_ me on Derris-Kharlan. I imagine that's where that crystal on your heart came from? What about me? Was it for your _greater good_ that you _lied_ to me about my origins, that you hid the truth from me? Was it your _greater good's_ thought not to trust me, but just to pretend you gave a damn?"

Sora used his wings to rise up to Riku's level, and closer to him. "I never lied to you. I _didn't. Know._ And as to the Derris-Kharlan thing, we left you alone because we _trusted_ you. We _believed_ in you. We knew you'd come back to us! And instead, you go running off after Sephiroth, and you- you do all these horrible things for _no reason_ other than your own misconceptions!"

The airborne fighters charged for one another over and over again, Keyblades clashing and flashing in Kingdom Hearts' eerie light. As they flew for one another again and again, they began to descend towards the streets. Sora dissipated his wings when he was a foot above the ground, and dropped to his feet, only to have Oathkeeper torn from his hands. Way to the Dawn continued sweeping upward even after the Keyblade was dislodged- and suddenly the world was dark out of his left eye. He could feel the blood running down the left side of his face, and he could still see the world from the right, but he could no longer open his left eye- there was no eye left to even open. Riku smirked at the creation of this massive blind spot, and prepared for a killing strike. Sora summoned Oathkeeper to his hands once more, and drove the blade deep into Riku's abdomen.

"Self defense… self defense… in the end, it was self defense…" Sora muttered to himself over and over, his body shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

"H-how could-?" Riku asked no one in particular. "Th- isn't… possible…"

Though it broke his heart in half to do it, Sora wrenched the Oathkeeper blade from Riku's abdomen, and dismissed it from his hands. As Riku collapsed to the ground before him, Sora fell to his hands and knees. With the world forever darkened in one eye, Sora was forced to turn his head to see Riku properly. The silver haired teen was fixing him with the most fierce glare he possibly could as he tried to crawl for him.

"I… hate… you…" Riku groaned, trying to reach for Sora, but unable to do so before his energy ran out. His hand fell to the ground, and he gurgled and coughed.

Sora sighed, feeling blood still dripping from one eye and tears from the other as he replied, "We were like brothers, Riku… I loved you."

Riku's own eyes widened, almost as if he had worked something out before a very final-sounding sigh forced his head to turn to the ground.

Sora crawled away from this wretched scene. He was still shaking. He couldn't force himself to stand. He heard a voice- Kairi's?- calling his name before he lost all knowledge of the world.

.-.-.-.

Cloud was very worried. He, Vincent, Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Cid had gotten separated from Sora a long way back. It was very likely Riku had routed him elsewhere- but for the time being they had more pressing concerns. They had arrived at Sephiroth's current fortress.

The group paused for a moment, looking expectantly at Cloud. Last time they were in a situation like this, there had been a speech involved. Now, there were no words. Just an order. "Let's go."

The group of six entered into the main room of the Castle That Never Was, and were soon confronted by Sephiroth appearing before them. Cloud drew his blade and charged for the figure, succeeding only in having his blade go harmlessly through the man.

"A hologram?" ha asked, confused.

Sephiroth's image smirked. "Yes, Cloud, this is a hologram. You thought I'd be there to greet you in person? I'm a very busy man, and I have a very important appointment with Mother. You see, today is the day I shall realize the destiny of the Cetra- and rise above all other beings."

"Just how do you plan on doing that?" Tifa challenged. "You can't use the Lifestream this time."

Sephiroth cut Tifa's last word off. "It's true I no longer have access to the Lifestream, but there are other ways my plan will work. You see, the heart of a world is much like the Lifestream- in fact, I surmise the two are one and the same as far as our world is concerned. Would not the heart of _all_ worlds, Kingdom Hearts, follow that exact same model? When Mother fuses with the heart of all worlds, I will offer my own body and spirit unto her, and with her power, I shall reign as the god of all worlds!"

"That's-" Aerith muttered, her confident reply dying in her throat.

"You're _insane_!" Cloud shouted. "Besides which, we-!"

Sephiroth interrupted once again. "You can call me a madman all you want. It doesn't change a thing. And as to your pathetic bunch being able to stop me- you haven't a chance. When we last fought with godhood as my goal, I had not had years of experience to warn me not to underestimate your group's strength. That is a benefit I now possess. The Keyblade wielders are out of the equation. Kairi lies imprisoned somewhere in this palace, and my son is currently fighting against Sora. In all likelihood, soon he will be dead, and I will have one less puppet to deal with."

"You-?" Cloud began asking, only to be cut off once more.

"Yes." Sephiroth answered. "That's right. I knew. To be honest, I despise myself for not figuring it out sooner. Honestly, the boy is exactly like you. Unable to see the strings that draw him onward- until it is too late. Oh, and, by the way, in case it has escaped your notice by now, this is a pre-recorded message. You have no chance of stopping JENOVA's reunion with Kingdom Hearts. Did you honestly think I would just give away my entire plan to your face when you have the slightest chance of stopping me, especially after our past experience? Please, Cloud. The final phase of JENOVA's fusion began thirty-five minutes ago."

And with that, Sephiroth's hologram fizzled out of existance.

"We have to stop him." Vincent noted, his voice oddly calm given the circumstances.

"Yeah." Cloud muttered, nodding in agreement.

The heroes who had fought against Sephiroth previously made the exit the room, only to be halted by hearing a breathless voice of a familiar Princess.

"Wait! You have to come help… You have to help Sora…" Kairi panted as she walked through the door. Kneeling, she laid Sora down on the floor, and watch as the group of six ran over towards the pair.

As soon as he saw his son, Cloud grimaced. His left eye had been veritably ripped out of the socket by a Keyblade, and there was a jagged cut running all down the left side of his face. Aerith healed the cut with her Mastered Cure Materia, and ripped off a piece from the lower part of her dress to clean up all the blood. There was little chance of infection of this wound, given that she had already given Sora some very strong antibiotics after his wound on the islands, which also seemed to be agitated. She healed that cut as well, and Sora's eyes- rather, his right eye, as the left was now permanently closed- flickered open as he regained consciousness.

.-.-.-.

As he lay in the streets of the World That Never Was, feeling the rain pelting his slowly healing wounds, Riku had time to think. Time to consider, time to reall remember. And as he thought, he realized something.

_I was wrong… I was wrong about everything…_ he thought as he crawled into a dark portal that would take him to his supply of Cure Potions.

.-.-.-.

We're really in the final stretch now. It's only gonna be one or two- maybe three- more chapters before this is all over. So stay tuned!


	17. Transcendance

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright holders.

.-.-.-.

Chapter Sixteen- Transcendance

Sora felt oddly off-balance after his fight with Riku. Though nothing that affected his balance had been injured, it was so very disturbing to have blackness where, once, he had been able to see his left side. He jumped as Vincent spoke softly to him, not able to see where precisely his voice had come from.

"Sora, are you sure you can go through with this? Sephiroth is a difficult opponent even for those with the luxury of enhanced senses, and you've just been partially deprived of one…" Vincent murmured. Then, noticing how startled the boy was upon hearing, but not seeing him- as he had been walking to Sora's left- he added, "I'm sorry for startling you. I ask again- are you sure you can do this?"

Sora nodded determinedly. "Yeah. There's no way I'm gonna let something like this stop me. Sephiroth's gotta be stopped."

"Yeah." Kairi added emphatically. "And don't worry about Sora, Vincent. I can guard him from the left, all right?"

Vincent turned his crimson eyes on Kairi. "I'm worried about you as well. Given what you told us Riku tried to do to you, are you sure you can fight against Sephiroth?"

"What, having second thoughts?" Cloud asked sardonically. "I thought _you_ were the one who wanted them to come along in the first place."

"Guys, quit with the bickering!" Tifa cut in, shoving past Vincent and walking towards Cloud. "Look, I know you're worried, but we need all the help we can get beating Sephiroth this time. And besides which, Kairi's not one of those girls whose composure is that easily sha-"

"Look out!" Vincent shouted, shoving both Tifa and Cloud out of the way as a failed clone of Sephiroth dropped from the ceiling.

The clone was more Neoshadow Heartless than it was humanoid, with sharp, shadowy claws extending for several inches from its hands. Before Vincent could do anything to defend himself, the failed clone dug its claws deep into Vincent's chest.

There was a collective gasp from the group, and Sora's uninjured eye flew wide. This was just like that man in Traverse Town- only now, it was someone he knew. Once that _thing_ withdrew its claws, it would have Vincent's heart in its hands, and he'd be as good as-

The failed clone drew back its claws, and the expressions changed from horror to confusion as it withdrew, not Vincent's heart, but a small, blue sphere which looked like it contained some sort of primordial galaxy. After a moment's clutching, the creature proceeded to shatter the sphere in its hands before Oathkeeper forced it to meet its end. As the claws were darkness and not quite physical, there were no obvious injuries to Vincent's body, and while the relief grew on everyone's faces, the horror grew on Vincent's.

"No… no, not the Protomateria… no…" he muttered to himself clutching his head.

"Vincent, what's wrong?" Aerith asked softly. "You're not hurt, are you? I didn't see any injuries…"

"Yeah, what're you so spooked about?" Sora wondered, sounding oddly nonchalant, though his concern for the man was clear.

"Its gone… That thing destroyed the Protomateria…" the raven haired gunman whispered nonsensically.

"It's just a materia, Vincent. We could buy a replacement when we get back-" Cloud began.

"No, you don't understand!" Vincent shouted, cutting him off, a strange gleam coming into his eyes. "That materia was the only thing keeping me in control of Chaos!"

All arguments were struck into silence in that moment. No one could think of a response to that statement. As the silence rang on for several moments, Sora found images of Wonderland flashing before his eyes. That demonic creature bending Hojo's arm backwards until it almost snapped in half, seeing Hojo's head practically cracked open on his own lab equipment- that beast's savagery was beyond anything he'd ever seen before. And now that creature was loose?

Vincent struggled to his feet, keeping his voice carefully level as he said, "As the situation now stands, any time I experience any severe emotion, there is an incredible risk of Chaos coming out. That fiend doesn't distinguish between friend or foe, and without something to temper it, would go on seeking bloodshed from whatever source it could. At this point, it's only a matter of time before I completely lose control, and my body is relinquished to the demon forever. I'm asking you before I lose it, please, save yourselves the heartbreak coming later and just shoot me now."

Cerberus collided with the ground with a loud clatter, and the gunman fixed his crimson eyes fiercely upon Sora and Cloud. "Don't waste time. Just do it. Do it, and go after Sephiroth. I would do it myself, but the demon would only seize control faster. You have to kill me before I'm fully consumed. So please, just do it now."

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Kairi spat, earning some very confused glances from her comrades. "You've come all this way, and now you're just gonna give up? Didn't you learn your lesson about that on Derris-Kharlan? I thought you were gonna keep on living for Lucrecia's sake! And now, you're going back on your word when the first thing to test that resolve comes up?"

Vincent shook his head, his voice oddly monotone as he replied, "No. This isn't the same. This isn't me running from life, this is me trying to protect you all. You yourself witnessed what that demon was capable of outside of my control on Wonderland… Do you want a repeat offense?"

"No, but I don't want you _dead_ either, Vincent!" Sora added, glaring fiercely at the older man. The fresh scar on his face made him look far more intimidating, and Vincent could tell in his heart he was taking the boy much more seriously because of it. "You said you wouldn't run anymore. You said you'd live. So _be a man_, and fight Chaos off. You're more than capable of it. _So do it_."

Sora then brushed past Vincent, and started walking back up the ramps which led to the top level of the Castle That Never Was, where Sephiroth surely awaited them. Cloud followed swiftly behind him, and he, in turn, was followed by Kairi and the rest of the group. Vincent remained in his place for a moment before sighing, and catching up with them. They walked in silence towards the top floor, and after several minutes, they had arrived on the final balcony.

Sephiroth stood towards the end railing, his head raised towards the broken Kingdom Hearts. Though it had somewhat repaired itself after Xemnas's defeat, it was still mostly shattered in the center. Within that gaping center hovered a blue, feminine, alien creature that Sora presumed to be JENOVA, and from that creature grew many tentacles which were latched onto the sides of Kingdom Hearts itself. It was a grotesque sight for all witnesses. Sensing the group's presence, or perhaps feeling their determined gazes like so many laser sights upon his back, Sephiroth turned to face them.

"You're late." he greeted, a faint smirk on his face. "Too late, unfortunately, to have any chance of stopping me. Mother has joined fully with Kingdom Hearts. All that's left is for me to offer myself, body and soul, to her, and I will have the power of a god."

Sora and Cloud opened their mouths simultaneously to respond, but were silenced when a new voice interrupted, "Sorry to bust up Reunion, Sephiroth, but you're not getting your hands on Kingdom Hearts!"

Sora, Kairi, and Vincent looked up as one towards the source of the voice. They knew that voice. But it couldn't possibly be him- Sora had stabbed him with Oathkeeper, he had been too injured to even move! Sora gasped and leapt backwards as the battered but ever so familiar figure of Riku descended in front of everyone else, going into a defensive stance. He was _protecting_ them.

"_What_." Sephiroth hissed, his cat-like eyes narrowed to slits. "You would defend this treacherous filth, and take arms against your own father?"

"That's rich." Riku shot back. "Now you're concerned about acting like a father. Please. You might have shown some care for me, but that doesn't excuse your other actions. I finally see how things really went. And, son or no, I can't just stand by and let you continue your evil plans."

"Riku…" Sora muttered, shocked beyond words, "Is it… is it really you?"

Riku inclined his head back towards the younger boy. "I'm not about to ask you for forgiveness. I know I've done way too many horrible things for that… I never deserved to have friends like you and Kairi, who never lost faith in me… But… for what it's worth… I'm sorry. This is all I can do to make up for it."

Sora tried to step forward to comfort his friend, and found himself blocked by an invisible barrier. Riku had summoned a wall to lock the others out and keep them from interfering. The spiky-haired teen started pounding against the invisible barrier, shouting, "Riku, are you _insane_? You can't fight your dad alone, you're still weak from our fight! You're gonna get yourself killed! Riku! _Riku_!"

Riku smirked back towards the other boy, who now had tears streaming from his good eye. "Quit crying, you sap. When's the last time I've ever lost against a bad guy, huh?"

And he summoned Way to the Dawn to his hands for what he knew in his heart would be the final time. His father had no words for him, but his rage was all too clear. He charged, he blocked, he struck as best he could, but he couldn't get past his father's guard. He was too weak- and his father grew stronger by the minute. In desperation, he lunged for the man, only for him to easily sidestep the blow.

Sora and Kairi watched in horror as Sephiroth, having sidestepped Riku's last clumsy strike, placed his black-gloved fingers in an iron grip upon Riku's silver-feathered wing, and slowly, cruelly, detatched it from his back, pulling apart muscle and bone and veins, leaving a massive scar down the boy's back. And before Riku could do anything to defend himself, Sora caught the telltale flash of light upon metal before Masamune was seen through Riku's chest. Riku couldn't talk, he had no words, all Sora could see was the silver-haired teen mouthing his name before Masamune was withdrawn and he dropped in a bloody heap on the floor, taking with him the barrier he had summoned.

.-.-.-.

Riku knew as soon as he'd realized how wrong he was about everything that there was no way he could face Sora and the others again. Not after the hell he'd put them through. And he knew that, with his injuries, there was no chance of surviving his fight with his father.

He had felt excruciating pain radiate across his back before everything suddenly ended. Wherever he was now, it was pitch black. And suddenly, he could feel warmth. Light. The light felt so comforting, so welcoming… All he'd have to do is let the current carry him away, dissolving his essence, and he could be at peace.

Somewhere deep inside, he knew he didn't have to accept this fate. He could return, he could claw his way out from the grave, as his father had- but to do so would be to relinquish all memory but an obsessive focus upon one person. That was not a fate he desired.

Thus, he let the current carry him towards the light, towards dissolution and his final rest.

.-.-.-.

No one could move. Sora couldn't process the utter impossibility of the images he was seeing before him. Riku was a crimson, crumpled heap on the ground, not moving, not breathing, not even smiling or doing anything that was remotely like him in life.

Sephiroth gazed coldly down at the corpse, flinging the blood and viscera off of his blade like so much trash as he stated, "I have no son."

Sora's legs buckled beneath him, and he fell to his hands and knees, crawling towards Riku- or whatever remained of him. He took the boy's lifeless body in his hands, and shook it. "Riku. Come on, Riku, stop joking around. Riku, get up, this isn't funny! Riku!"

The tears were flowing freely now, and all the others who came to fight Sephiroth jerked backwards upon hearing the feral cry of rage and sorrow that burst from Sora's underdeveloped throat. No one watched Sephiroth as he rose into the sky- all eyes were fixed upon the young Keyblade wielder who had just lost his best friend.

Kairi's sapphire eyes were turning red from her own tears, which she tried desperately to wipe away before she completely and totally lost it herself, and there were varying degrees of sorrow among the rest of the group. Even Cloud, who had never particularly cared for Riku, could feel his heartstrings being pulled at upon seeing Sora's reaction to this loss. There was no child alive that deserved this kind of torment.

Sora, bent low over Riku's fallen body, still weeping copiously, almost blind from tears in his one remaining eye, whispered, "I'll kill him… I'LL KILL HIM! He'll pay for this. I'll _make him_ SUFFER!"

Vincent, seeing the darkness beginning to spiral inward around Sora stepped up the the front of the group, and firmly stated, "Sora. I know you want to make Sephiroth pay for all the pain he's caused. Believe me, I know he crossed the line a long time ago. But if you let yourself get consumed by the darkness in order to have the power to make him suffer, you've become an even worse monster than he is. If you kill him like this, everything Riku sacrificed his life for, _all of it_, will have meant _nothing_. Do you want your friend's final attempt at redemption to be _in vain_?"

Sora's body was trembling uncontrollably. "You're right, you're right, but what am I supposed to do? I… I can't fight him… If Riku couldn't even beat him, then how am I supposed to beat him when he's powered up? Without the darkness, I'm not strong enough to face him, but I can't use it. How am I supposed to-?"

At this point, Kairi had had enough of all this nonsense. Brooding wasn't going to do anyone a bit of good when the worlds were in danger. She shoved Vincent out of the way, walked over to Sora, picked him up by his collar, and slapped him on the left side of his face as hard as she could. She was shaking him by the collar, tears flowing down her own face as she shouted, "You idiot! Stop crying already! I know- Riku's gone, and I- we're all gonna miss him. But sitting here sobbing isn't gonna do anything! In case you've forgotten, Sephiroth's just gotten the power he needs to destroy the worlds- or worse. The worlds _need_ the Keyblade Master. What would Riku want if the positions were reversed, huh? Think about what _he_ would want you to do."

Sora slowly rose to his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes as he muttered, "Yeah… Riku wouldn't just want us to sit here and mope about him dying. He'd want us to fight…"

Aerith's fingers gently gripped Sora's shoulder, and she stated, "You're right. I didn't know him that well, but I know he wouldn't want us to give up… But… Sora… if our main goal here was to stop Sephiroth from ascending to godhood, I'm afraid we've run out of time…"

"What?" Cloud and Sora asked in unison, inclining their heads towards Kingdom Hearts.

Sephiroth hovered for a moment, arms outstretched, before vanishing into JENOVA, merging his body and the creature's own. Riku's corpse, like some limp marionette in a twisted puppeteer's show, also rose high above Cloud, Sora, and all the others. The corpse's arms stretched outward, an eerily serene, blank expression upon its face before it, too, merged with JENOVA. There was a surge of pitch black, followed by a flash of bright light, leaving all beneath the spectacle disoriented. Once their vision cleared, however, the group of eight gazed in horror and fascination upon the birth of a god.

Kingdom Heart's eerie broken moonlight still shone upon the World That Never Was, but now within its center hovered a many-winged seraph. Sephiroth's legs had been replaced by four flapping, purest white wings, and upon his back were two more. Over his right shoulder was his ubiquitous black-feathered wing, but over the left there protruded a somewhat smaller silver wing, that last biological remnant of Riku amidst this terrifying conglomeration. Beneath the wings upon Sephiroth's back, there were countless tentacles growing in size as they parisitized the hearts from Kingdom Hearts, the Heart of All Worlds itself, yet aside from those additions, everything from Sephiroth's torso and above was human. His silver hair now seemed to have it's own terrible, magnificent light and floated in an eerie, nonexistant breeze. He surveyed the area, and spoke calmly with not only his own voice, but the resounding voices of all hearts within Kingdom Hearts itself, "I am Sephiroth. I am the angel of judgment, the god of all worlds. None shall stand against my divine might."

All eyes were widened, gazing up at this frightening spectre, unwilling to believe what they knew to be true. They were too late. Sephiroth had become a god. They couldn't stop him. Only Sora and Cloud, it seemed, could have any façade of bravado at this point.

"Well, you've finally done it, Sephiroth." Cloud conceded, a wry smirk on his face. "You've ascended to godhood, and we couldn't stop you. So what now? Huh? What was your big plan after you got this far? I bet you didn't even think that far ahead, foreseeing we could still stop you."

If gods ever rolled their eyes, Sephiroth did the closest equivalent at that moment. "Please, puppet. I knew from the start my victory was assured. As for what my plans are now, it is of little consequence to you lesser beings who are about to die. But before you perish, all of you will kneel."

Upon those words, a sick green aura appeared around Cloud, and he was forced to his hands and knees in a kowtow to the risen Sephiroth. It was a struggle for Cloud to even lift his hatred-filled blue eyes to see this seraphic Sephiroth while the man hovered above him, controlling his body.

Sephiroth chuckled his superior laugh, and stated, "My will and Mother's are one. My control over anyone with her cells is absolute. Even those with the smallest concentration shall cower before me."

And green energy fields surrounded both Sora and Vincent. Sora must have contained JENOVA cells from being Cloud's offspring, Kairi supposed, but as to Vincent, she had no idea. Unless Hojo rather liked to combine his experiments.

Within moments, Sora, too, was kneeling on the ground. Vincent was struggling as hard as he could, gauntleted hand clutched over his heart. He collapsed roughly to his knees before a new aura, a bloodred one, began surrounding him and cancelling out Sephiroth's green one.

Seeing this, Sephiroth moved his right arm in a violent downward gesture, and the red aura faded away as Vincent fell into a kowtow.

The strongest of the group would be of no help to them at this point. Sephiroth's control was too absolute. Tifa and Aerith were terrified beyond words, though they desperately wanted to say something to defy this false deity. Cid had taken to muttering various curse words under his breath as he tried desperately to think of a way out of this mess. Yuffie was engaged similarly to Cid, though she was looking around for places to either retreat to or use her self proclaimed 'mad ninja skills' from.

Kairi sighed. Sora was completely hopeless. She'd have to think of something herself to find a way out of this mess. Then, suddenly, she got a flash of inspiration. Maybe Sora couldn't fight Sephiroth, but she could. And she had something Sephiroth wouldn't understand and would underestimate to no end.

"Sephiroth!" Kairi called out, earning a gaze down the nose from high above. "While these humiliating antics might give you some satisfaction right now, you can't keep doing this forever. You have to have something else planned. Since we're pretty much dead anyway at this point, why don't you clue us in on your little scheme?"

She barely supressed the urge to jump back as Sephiroth's towering form appeared right before her eyes.

"Stop trying to put on such a brave face. All you are is a poor, frightened princess who doesn't know what to do." he taunted. "But you do speak some sense. Given all of you are soon to be dead, I will reveal to you the full extent of my plan. Have you ever heard the legend behind Kingdom Hearts?"

The question caught all present off guard. Kairi said quietly, "My grandmother once told me something about it, I think…"

"Haven't you ever wondered why the worlds were so segmented? How it was possible a mere castle, or town, or Coliseum could comprise an entire planet?" Sephiroth asked rhetorically. "The answer to this question was so simple, I could hardly believe it escaped my notice. Once, many, many millenia ago, the worlds were all one."

"Impossible!" Cid cut him off. "There ain't no way all them worlds were the same. That planet would have to be as big as a sun! With an even _bigger_ _sun_ heating it!"

"I will not tolerate interruptions from ants." the seraph hissed, forcing Cid into silence via his magic. "Yes, it stretches the disbelief a bit. I admit I at first did not believe- until I saw glimpses of other worlds, far, far away from our own that shared common aeons, eidolons, summons, deities with my own homeworld. How, exactly, if the worlds were never one, and the technology to travel between them safely was a far more recent development, did such information, such skill osmose from worlds lightyears away from one another? There was only one possible explanation. Kingdom Hearts, considered the Heart of All Worlds, had been the heart of this _united_ world. But something happened. All those millenia ago, there was a peaceful era. What forced that to an end? From there, I looked to the legends of Kingdom Hearts found on Radiant Garden, actually transcripts from an ancient Cetran piece of writing."

Kairi's eyes widened. She could sense these vague images from her childhood. A city filled with flowers, her grandmother's smile, the castle, and the legends within the castle… Somehow she knew the tale Sephiroth would tell next.

"Once, long ago, all people lived united within this one world, their lives filled and graced by the presence of light. People desired the light, and began plotting to keep it to themselves, depriving others of it. From that selfishness came darkness, and from that darkness came a great war. Some fought to protect the flickering light, others fought to keep it for their own purposes, some others ever sought to destroy it. There were heroes and villains on all sides. The war was interminable. The gods themselves were stymied, unable to interfere lest the conflict between the mortals divide them as well. And then the king of one set of deities created a blade with the power to sunder worlds- and used it to separate Kingdom Hearts into all the worlds you see today." Sephiroth narrated. "And thus, if the blade has the power to tear worlds apart, it also possesses the power to reunite them. And I, as the one who reunited all worlds once more, shall be revered and worshipped as the god I am. Unfortunately, the blade's location as of yet eludes me- but no matter. I am connected with the heart of all worlds. The information shall not remain out of my grasp for long."

Kairi's eyes flew wide. "That's-! Look. This world was never supposed to exist! If you try to unite the worlds here with this false heart of all worlds, you risk the destruction of our entire galaxy, our entire universe!"

"What do I care? I've already ascended beyond this mortal coil." Sephiroth taunted. "Should this fail, I alone can survive. I am the Chosen One. Unfortunately, Princess, the same cannot be said of you."

And in a blink of an eye, a veritable bombardment of darkness flew towards Kairi, consuming her body from head to foot.

"_Kairi_!" Sora shouted, struggling against the aura still holding him to his knees.

It was several minutes before the darkness cleared, but when it did, Sephiroth's eerily serene and composed face had slipped into a mask of total fury. Kairi still stood there, glaring defiantly at the so-called 'god'.

"What? Th- that's impossible! You should be a Heartless by now!" Sephiroth raged incoherently, slipping into a roar of fury that contained the voices of all Kingdom Hearts.

Kairi smirked. "You've always called me 'Princess', but you never took into account exactly what that entailed. I am a Princess of Heart. There is no darkness within my heart. Nothing you can taint or corrupt. Nothing you can use to force me to become a Heartless. You have no power over me. And now- you've just really made me mad."

She summoned Wrath of the Earth into her hands, and continued, "My heart is pure. Incorruptible. Yours, on the other hand, is steeped in darkness, so much so that you could not withstand the forces of your own attack. And I'm about to prove it. Enjoy being a weak little Heartless."

At that moment, the very same darkness which had flown towards Kairi began pooling in front of her. With an offensive gesture of her hand, the darkness flew back towards the man from whence it came.

Sephiroth's eyes widened momentarily at this turn of events before he called forth a wall of light in front of him, stopping the darkness and dissipating it. Now it was Kairi's turn to be shocked beyond words.

"Pity you forgot that Kingdom Hearts is light as well as darkness." Sephiroth taunted. "Otherwise that maneuver might have stood a vague chance at success."

Kairi's lips parted once again in a smile. "Shame it wasn't intended to succeed. _Now, Yuffie_!"

Before the seraph had the chance to defend himself, a massive rain of ninja stars flew towards him, slicing through some of the tentacles binding him to Kingdom Hearts. This swift onslaught was swiftly followed by Yuffie somersaulting right in his face with a fully mastered Fire materia working its magic. As flames and smoke temporarily blinded him, he focused his mind on summoning a force to weaken, maim the one who dared strike him. There was a sharply descending angelic chorus, and Yuffie Kisaragi fell to the ground, hardly even breathing.

Kairi looked back up towards Sephiroth, and her eyes zeroed in on the tentacles binding him to Kingdom Hearts. Several of them were severed, and it didn't appear that he was able to regrow them, or at least, not at an expedient rate. He also appeared to have been severely weakened by the bond being severed.

"Aerith! Tifa! I have an idea." she called, earning looks from the two older women. "Aerith, you try and deal with Yuffie's injuries. Tifa, see if you can give me a boost closer to where Sephiroth is, and keep him distracted."

The other two women nodded in understanding, and went to their duties. As Tifa placed her hands beneath Kairi's foot to throw her towards the seraph, she muttered, "Keep the practically omniscient bad guy distracted. Right. Easy."

She pulled her leather gloves tighter over her hands, and curled them into fists before charging head on for Sephiroth. In the face of a two-pronged assault, Sephiroth sneered and summoned a defensive barrier, causing Tifa to bounce off of it and crash to the floor while Kairi's Keyblade got completely deflected.

Seeing how the girls were struggling against Sephiroth, Sora knew he couldn't just sit there. Cloud was fighting for all his worth against the bonds Sephiroth held him in, whereas Vincent appeared to have almost given up. Kairi was in danger. Sora knew he had to help her. He had to force himself to move. He struggled against the energy binding him, but soon realized the tie was somewhat weaker than he had initially felt or supposed. With an effort to put Hercules himself to shame, Sora forced himself to stand up, shattering the hold Sephiroth had on him. He placed his right hand to his heart, where he felt Kadaj's Cruxis Crystal still equipped. He let his right hand drop to the side so he could summon Oblivion, and brought forth those same ethereal blue wings which, earlier, had saved his life.

Sephiroth was in the midst of charging up a blanket Heartless Angel spell for all the women who were fighting him when he suddenly felt excruciating pain radiate across his back as hundreds of the tentacles binding him to Kingdom Hearts were severed in one blow, leaving him barely tethered to it. He snarled in rage, and whipped his head around to find the Keyblade Master impossibly hovering in the air, suspended by gossamer wings.

"Sorry, Sephiroth." Sora taunted, looking coldly down at the supposed deity. "You don't have any power over me any more. And with the injuries I've just given you, Cloud and Vincent should be free very soon too."

Summoned by his words, Vincent stood up and fired several rounds of ammunition towards Sephiroth's chest, only for them to be fairly easily blocked. Cloud also stood up, and began charging towards Sephiroth with a mighty cry of his name, only for his sword strike to be almost lazily deflected. He crashed on the balcony, and Aerith ran over to him to make sure he was all right.

Sephiroth snarled, and while everyone tried to recover or tend to others' wounds, he charged and cast a blanket Heartless Angel spell which sapped the strength of all present to almost nothing. Upon seeing this, he smirked, and proclaimed, "You are powerless beneath me. I possess the power and knowledge of a god. All bends to my will, even the heavens themselves! On this day, I bring you infinite despair, and to all, ruination!"

And with one last grandiose gesture, the sun providing light and warmth to Twilight Town exploded, completely destroying it, and pelting the World That Never Was with the force and heat of a hundred thousand atomic weapons.

Sephiroth chuckled, satisfied, as the light began to fade from the area. All too soon, he'd had the satisfaction of seeing those traitors' shadows burned into the ground, a perfect memorial and warning to all who'd dare defy him. But as the atomizing light fully faded, his smirk slipped away, giving way to uncontrollable rage as he saw every last one of those eight mortals fighting against him improbably, impossibly _alive_. They were already weakened by Heartless Angel, there was no way they could have-!

"No… Impossible…" he murmured, seeing Sora get up from the ground before anyone else had the strength. The Keyblade Master summoned the wings of the Cruxis Crystal, and Sephiroth continued, "How? How could you possibly-?"

Sora glared down at the would-be deity. "It's because Kingdom Hearts is on _our_ side. The heart of all worlds wishes for the force to preserve the safety of all worlds to continue onward. Though, the fact that this world isn't exactly in the realm of existance helps a lot, too. Face it, Sephiroth, you're a fool. And you're finished."

Upon that word, Sephiroth found himself surrounded on all sides by a variety of different Keyblades. The utter irony and familiarity of the situation began to set in, and Sephiroth could almost see Cloud's face in place of Sora's. There was no avoiding what would come next.

"This is for the islands!" Sora shouted, grabbing the Kingdom Key and charging through whatever barrier Sephiroth had summoned, cutting into the man with a god complex.

The boy's remaining blue eye narrowed into near a slit as he grasped the Oathkeeper. "This is for my family!"

Another driving maneuver followed, slicing all tentacles binding Sephiroth to Kingdom Hearts.

The Keyblade Master snagged Star Seeker from midair. "This is for Twilight Town!"

Another slash, this one hacking into Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth's gaze was drawn upward as Sora took the final Keyblade, Oblivion, alongside the Ultima Keyblade, into his hands, and shouted, "And this- this is for Riku! Time for you to die and _stay dead_!"

And with one final diving, stabbing move, the power of a god was severed. Sora landed on the ground to cheers from Yuffie and Kairi, and he did his best to smile at their accolades, but at this point, he was weary. He just wanted it to be over. He dismissed the ethereal wings, and removed Kadaj's Cruxis Crystal from his heart. It had been a great help to him, but now he just felt weird keeping something that remained of Sephiroth's legacy around, so, taking it into his hands, he threw it far off into the distance, beyond any mortal reach. His Keyblades were kept in hand because he feared this was not quite Sephiroth's demise. Not yet.

And his fears proved correct, for Sephiroth, reduced back to mortal size and appearance, staggered onto the balcony attemtped to draw Masamune threateningly, but swiftly collapsed. With his fading breaths, Sephiroth stated, "This isn't over… Even if my body dies here, I will return. So long as Mother's cells exist in this world, I will come back from the grave. Your memories, as well, shall resurrect me. Even in death, I succeed, for I have left my mark upon each and every one of you and-!"

Sephiroth's speech ended in an unceremonious gurgle as Sora's Ultima Keyblade stabbed into the dying man's abdomen, and was swiftly pulled out with a sickening _squinch_. Sora flung the blood of the One-Winged Angel off of his blade like so much trash, and retorted, "You talk too much. Riku didn't get the chance for speeches. I don't see why you should."

Sephiroth's lifeless body fell to the ground, a massive puddle of blood spreading from it.

Sora looked around the balcony, trying to find Riku's corpse, which had been assimilated into that thing calling itself a god, but the body was nowhere to be found. He felt a hand gingerly grasp his left shoulder, and turned around to find Kairi looking gently into his remaining eye.

"It's okay." she soothed. "It's over now."

Sora blinked, tears starting to well up in his right eye. "B- but the islands… and Twilight Town… and Riku…"

Kairi's eyes started welling up too. "I know. I'm gonna miss him… But… we did what we had to do…"

The two teens embraced, though Sora was very carefully turning his face away so she wouldn't be forced to look at the scar marring the left side of his face. A lower voice cleared its throat, and the pair broke apart so Sora could face the source of the voice- Cloud, it seemed, had decided to walk over with a message for Sora.

Cloud was looking around awkwardly, but after a long moment of silence, he finally said, "Sora, you did a good job out there… I mean, I was just… helpless, and you… Anyway, what I'm trying to say, I guess, is, well, I'm proud of you."

Sora felt a true smile start creeping onto his face for the first time since before Riku ever joined up with Sephiroth, and he whispered, "Thanks, Dad."

He wiped the tears from his eyes, and turned back towards the rest of the group. He was happy he at least had these friends left, but more than anything, he was tired. He wanted a break from the whole saving the worlds gig. In fact, Sora knew he and Kairi needed a chance to rest. A chance to heal, to accept, to move on from all that occurred over the past several months.

All the cheering, celebrating, 'I'm so glad you're okay'-ing fell silent mere seconds later, and all heads turned towards the final stairs up to the balcony. Sora, curious as to what was going on, turned his body so he could see the figure more fully. There, atop the stairs, stood King Mickey.

In an instant, Sora's mood grew black. The King had been the one who informed him of the situation with Sephiroth, and yet he hadn't shown up to help with anything whatsoever. In that frame of mind, he muttered acidicly, "So, His Majesty finally decides to show up after everything's over and done with."

Mickey had been surprised upon seeing Sora's scarred face, but at his words, he was forced to heave a sigh. "I know, I know. I was the one who let you fellas know things were getting real bad, but I didn't even show up. Listen. I'm sorry. But there are things I have to deal with on my homeworld as well, you get it? And, Sora… I know you just got done here, but I really need you and Kairi's help…"

"With what?" Sora queried, his mood not lightening at all.

"It seems the Palamecian Empire has placed a fleet in the airspace of a neighboring world, in direct violation of the World Order."


End file.
